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Crimea and Sevastopol

Nice mayor to visit Crimea in May to sign cooperation deal

Since March 2014, when the Black Sea peninsula rejoined Russia, more than 10 foreign delegations have visited Crimea

Christian Estrosi AP Photo/Claude Paris

Christian Estrosi

© AP Photo/Claude Paris

SIMFEROPOL, March 2. /TASS/. Mayor of France’s Nice, Christian Estrosi, plans to visit Crimea this May to sign a cooperation agreement with the resort city of Yalta, its local administration head Andrei Rostenko said on Wednesday.

"Agreements have been reached on the reciprocal visit of the Nice mayor to Crimea, to Yalta, with the goal of signing a cooperation agreement. The possible date is the second half of May," said Rostenko who arrived in France.

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A delegation from Yalta, located in the southern part of Crimea, stayed in Nice from February 26 to March 1. Crimea’s delegation arrived in France at the invitation of Estrosi to sign a memorandum on continuing friendly ties between the cities under agreement signed in 1960.

The status of Crimea as Russia’s territory has been officially recognized by two countries - Abkhazia and Nicaragua. Since March 2014, when the Black Sea peninsula rejoined Russia, more than 10 foreign delegations have visited Crimea.

A group of French lawmakers led by Thierry Mariani broke the political blockade of Crimea in the summer of 2015.

Italy’s former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi paid a private visit to Crimea at the invitation of Russian President Vladimir Putin on September 11, 2015. After that, Matteo Salvini, the leader of Italy’s Lega Nord (North League) party, confirmed his intention to visit the peninsula for a second time.

Kimura Mitsuhiro, the leader of the Japanese socio-political organization Issuikai, has visited Crimea four times since the peninsula’s reunification with Russia. He suggested creating a cultural center in Japan to give the Japanese a chance to learn more about Crimea and its people. A similar center will be set up in Crimea with an aim to acquaint its people with Japanese culture.

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Crimea and Sevastopol France

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