State Duma deputy from Crimea Ruslan Balbek commented on the statement of the former German chancellor Gerhard Schroeder on the reunification of the peninsula with Russia. He expressed his opinion on Sunday, January 17th.
The deputy noted that the Crimeans could not accept Ukraine as an independent state over the years of its existence.
“Mentally, we remained part of the vast Russia. The expansion of NATO, the Ukrainization, the “European values” we do not understand, only strengthened our confidence, “Balbek told RT.
At the same time, he noted that Schroeder understands Russia better than other European politicians.
“If the European establishment had at least a little of this knowledge, I am sure there would be no problem of Crimea, no civil conflict within Ukraine, no our disagreements and anti-Russian hysteria on the international agenda,” the deputy concluded.
State Duma deputy from Sevastopol Dmitry Belik, in turn, said that Schroeder knew superficially about the situation on the peninsula in the period from 1992 to 2014. According to the deputy, the real reason for the reunification of Crimea with Russia was the desire of Crimea to return home, and not the expansion of NATO, as the ex-chancellor of Germany believes.
On the eve of Schroeder, in an interview with Der Spiegel, he criticized discussions about the possible accession of Ukraine and Georgia to NATO, saying that Crimea was reunited with Russia, allegedly because of the policy of expanding the North Atlantic Alliance to the east. He stressed that “not a single Russian president will return Crimea to Ukraine.”
Crimea returned to Russia following a referendum in 2014. 96.77% of the inhabitants of the peninsula and 95.6% of the voters of Sevastopol voted for the accession. The procedure was carried out in strict accordance with international law.
Kiev did not recognize the results of the vote and is making plans to “return” the region. Moscow points out that the referendum was held in compliance with all international norms and the question of ownership of the peninsula is closed forever.