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British advice to its nationals to leave Crimea has no reasons behind

Such advice has no reasonable basis and goes with no compliancy with real situation in the peninsula, Russia’s Foreign Ministry says

MOSCOW, September 30. /TASS/. The British Foreign Office’s recommendations to the UK nationals to leave Crimea due to "tense situation" have no reasonable basis, Russia’s Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday.

British Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) said "if you’re currently visiting or living in Crimea, you should leave now. If you choose to remain, you should keep a low profile, avoid areas of protest or stand-off and stay indoors where possible."

"Such advice has no reasonable basis and goes with no compliancy with real situation in the peninsula," Russia’s Foreign Ministry said. "According to the Crimean Ministry for Tourism, in 2014 some 3.8 million of tourists visited Crimea, fifth of the number were foreigners. In January-August, more than 3.3 million of tourists came to the peninsula."

According to the ministry, after the Crimea’s reunification with Russia in 2014, the region was numerously visited by "citizens from different states, formal and informal delegations from a number of European, Asian and African countries including France, Italy, Germany, Netherlands, Poland, Israel, Turkey and others."

The ministry also noted that London tried to prevent British veterans of the Arctic convoys of World War II from visiting Crimea.

"The FCO is trying to oppose mutual initiative of the Russian historical military union and the public project "Victory Day — London" to organize a visit of the UK veterans of the Arctic Convoys to the Crimean peninsula due on October 5-12," the ministry said. "Within this background we would like to note that in the year of the 70th anniversary of the Great Victory over Nazism maintaining common historical memory must not become a hostage of the political circumstances."