Crimea’s future is to be with Russia forever, Lavrov says
The West’s actions cannot change the fact that Crimea is now part of Russia and will be it for good, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Tuesday, cording to TASS news agency.
"Crimea’s future is to be with Russia forever. Whether one likes it or not. No actions taken by the Western nations led by the United States can change this reality, either from the point of view of international law, or from the political or moral points of view," he said in an interview with the Krym-24 television channel on the 7th anniversary of Crimea’s reunification with Russia.
He recalled that seven years ago Crimea’s residents had voted for joining Russia "in full compliance with international law." "This format to implement the right of nations to self-determination, which is committed to paper in the United Nations Charter, was the only way to defend Crimean residents’ interests, dignity and lives amid threats from nationalists and neo-Nazis who took power in Kiev after an unconstitutional armed coup," he stressed.
The minister pledged that Russian diplomacy will continue "efforts to make our foreign partners finally see the realities of Crimea’s being back home."