Russia won't negotiate Crimea’s return with anyone ----Lavrov
Russia is in talks with no one on Crimea’s returning back to
Ukraine as Crimea is a Russian territory, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey
Lavrov said on Tuesday.
"There is nothing to return, we are in talks with no
one on Crimea’s return. Crimea is Russian territory in full conformity with the
expression of will of Crimea’s peoples," he said at a news conference dedicated
to the results of 2015, reports Tass.
"[It was the expression of will of] all of them, including
those who had had no rights under the Ukrainian authorities and who had been
granted their rights, including the state language, when Crime reunified with
Russia after a referendum, the results of which are well-known."
"Of course, you can follow the logic of our Ukrainian
colleagues who keep on saying they will recapture Donbas this year and get back
Crimea next year but, as a matter of fact, it would be better to speak about
the implementation of the Minsk agreements," Lavrov went on to say.
He drew attention to the fact that the Minsk agreements
"envisage Donbas staying a part of Ukraine but with obligatory elements of
decentralization."
"And the Verkhovna Rada [Ukrainian parliament] is
failing to do what was agreed by the president of Ukraine," he noted.
"And as for Crimea, probably it will be better not to judge the situation
based on hearsay but to go there to see," the Russian foreign minister
said, adding that many journalists and a number of European politician had
already visited Crimea.
"It’s better to see everything with your own
eyes."
Amid a political crisis and the change of power in Ukraine
in February 2014, Crimea’s Supreme Council (parliament) and Sevastopol’s City
Council adopted on March 11, 2014 Crimea’s and Sevastopol’s declaration of
independence.
A referendum on reunification with Russia was held on March
16, 2014. With a record-breaking turnout of 80 percent the overwhelming
majority of Crimea’s and Sevastopol residents, mostly ethic Russians, (96.7 and
95.6 percent, respectively) voted in favour of ceding from Ukraine to join
Russia.
After the treaty of Crimea’s and Sevastopol’s reunification
with Russia was approved by the Russian parliament, President Vladimir Putin on
March 21, 2014 signed a federal law on admitting two new constituent entities
in the Russian Federation.
Despite the absolutely convincing results of the referendum,
Ukraine, the United States and the European Union have been refusing to
recognize Crimea as a part of Russia.
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