Kyrgyzstan said it considers valid the results of Sunday's referendum in Crimea, in which the region voted in favor of seceding Ukraine and joining Russia.
"The results of the referendum in Crimea reflect the views of the region's absolute majority, and this is reality," Kyrgyzstan's Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Thursday.?
"All initiatives and actions should be directed solely at maintaining fragile peace and stability in Ukraine and in the region. Tough measures are inadmissible," the ministry said.
The statement blames the former Ukrainian authorities for the political crisis in the country, which resulted in the ouster of President Viktor Yanukovych.
Earlier, Kyrgyzstan said it did not recognize Viktor Yanukovych as the president of Ukraine because "he lost the confidence of his people, presidential power and escaped from the country."
A referendum held Sunday in the predominantly Russian-speaking Crimean peninsula saw an overwhelming majority of voters support reunification with Russia after 60 years as part of Ukraine.
A treaty providing for the Black Sea peninsula's annexation was signed by Crimean leaders and Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday in the Kremlin.
This report contains material from the Moscow Times.
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