Russian Ambassador to Berlin Sergei Nechaev believes that “the time has come to recognize the legitimate and democratic choice of the people of Crimea, respect their rights and interests, as well as the status of this region of the Russian Federation”.
According to TASS, an article by Russian Ambassador to Berlin Sergei Nechaev published on Monday evening in the German newspaper Berliner Zeitung on the occasion of the seventh anniversary of the reunification of the peninsula with the Russian Federation states that Crimea has become one of the most dynamic regions of Russia, despite the pressure of sanctions and “shameful blockade “from Ukraine.
“As part of the Russian Federation, the peninsula has acquired powerful impulses for development. It is open for interaction and exchanges with foreign partners”, – the diplomat said.
Nechaev believes that “the time has come to recognize the legal and democratic choice of the people of Crimea, to respect their rights and interests, as well as the status of this region of the Russian Federation”. He called for “to form an objective impression of the peninsula based on personal experience, trips to the region and communication with local residents”.
“Despite the difficult legacy of recent decades, when the peninsula was practically left to itself, today Crimea has become one of the most dynamic regions in Russia. The sanctions pressure could not prevent this”, – stated Nechaev.
He recalled that in 2014, the residents of Crimea “realized the right to self-determination enshrined in the UN Charter” and unambiguously decided “to link their future with Russia”, and the root cause of the internal Ukrainian conflict and subsequent problems was a coup d’état “carried out with the political and financial support of a number of Western countries”.
“Its goal is to drive a wedge between Russia and Ukraine, destroy their ties, tie Kiev to Euro-Atlantic structures and make it an obedient executor of someone else’s will, which, unfortunately, has recently been manifested more and more”, – the diplomat said.
At the same time, he pointed out that the West “does not like to remember the signing by the leaders of the Ukrainian opposition of political agreements with the legitimate President Viktor Yanukovych in February 2014, approved and signed by the Foreign Ministers of Germany, France and Poland”, which the next day “were trampled by supporters of the “Maidan”.
The Russian diplomat also noted that “disinformation is spreading about alleged violations of human rights” on the peninsula, which is being done “according to Kiev”.
“Against the background of declarations of love for Crimea and its inhabitants, the Ukrainian authorities have been consistently implementing a water, energy and trade blockade of the peninsula in recent years”, – the diplomat stressed, expressing confidence that “Russia will cope with all difficulties, including overcoming the shameful blockade of Crimea”.