REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA -- Indonesia respects Ukraine's sovereignty with regard to the Crimean issue, foreign minister Marty Natalegawa stated.

"The President's directives are clear and principled. Indonesia will always put forward the principles of sovereignty, territorial integrity be it Ukraine, Serbia and Kosovo or Georgia" he emphasized at the presidential office here on Wednesday.

He stated, "We always uphold the principle of sovereignty and territorial integrity. And this also applies on Ukraine. We cannot accept any move that violates sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine."

"At the same time, on the other hand, we also prioritize the principles of respect, democracy and loyalty to the Constitution. We referred to the Ukraine upheaval even before the latest incident. We never like to see a change of legitimately-elected government through demonstrations which are unconstitutional," he asserted.

Marty added that the Crimean crisis would not directly affect Indonesia but it certainly will affect globally.

"It would certainly affect the atmosphere of relations between Russia and the US as well as the European Union, which in turn would affect other parts of the world if it worsens," he explained.

Indonesia will not accept any separation of territory that would affect integrity, he clarified.

If the separation is based on an agreement such as in the case of South Sudan, Indonesia will immediately offer support, he added.

"When Serbia and Montenegro separated, we supported them because it was done based on an agreement. But for us, the separation of Kosovo and Serbia and now, Crimea and Ukraine, which is done unilaterally by a group of people, is unacceptable," the minister pointed out.

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