ПОЛИТИЧЕСКАЯ ПРАКТИКА ПРИМЕНЕНИЯ И ТОЛКОВАНИЯ ПРИНЦИПОВ ПРАВА НАРОДОВ НА САМООПРЕДЕЛЕНИЕ И ТЕРРИТОРИАЛЬНОЙ ЦЕЛОСТНОСТИ ГОСУДАРСТВ

Abstract

The opposing positions of countries on the application of the principles of the peoples’ right to self-determination and the territorial integrity of states are considered. The purpose of the article is to prove that the positions taken by countries are not determined by international legal norms or a custom, but by political necessity. Research methods: comparative, historical, systematic methods and content analysis of documents. The main results of the work are the following provisions. The situation with the secession of Kosovo from Serbia, the recognition of Kosovo's independence by a number of states was the first precedent in the application of the principles of the peoples’ right to self-determination. Then, first of all, the Western countries adopted an atypical position for them to deny the inviolability of the borders of the state of Serbia. On the other hand, these same countries are characterized by persistent non-recognition and disregard for the independence declarations of Pridnestrovie, South Ossetia and Abkhazia. According to the results of the study, the author came to the following conclusion. Research results. The author proved that in the situation with Kosovo, the countries of the West made a strategic mistake in the political interpretation of the principles of the peoples’ right to self-determination and territorial integrity of states. This bloc of states has shown that in practice it is ready to deviate from predictable and legally correct interpretations of the principles under consideration, moreover, under the influence of political expediency.