MOSCOW, December 4. /TASS/. Crimea makes unalienable part of Russia and is of huge civilizational and sacral importance for the country, Russian President Vladimir Putin said in an annual state of the nation address to Russia’s parliament, the Federal Assembly, on Thursday. In his words, Russians will take this so once and forever.
Putin recalled that this was Crimea, ancient Chersonesos, named Korsun in the past, where Grand Prince Vladimir was baptized as a Christian and then baptized all Rus. “Here there is a spiritual source of building multifaceted, but integral Russian nation and Russian state.” “Christianity was a strong uniting force which allowed uniting tribes of different origins,” he said.
“Exactly on these spiritual grounds our ancestors have perceived themselves as a common nation at the first time and forever,” Putin noted. “This gives us all reasons to say that Crimea is of enormous sacral importance for Russia,” he said with confidence, noting that “We will take this so once and forever.”.
Vladimir Putin called Crimea's reunification with Russia historical.
He also thanked all Russians for support and solidarity in landmark moments when the country’s future is being decided.
Putin said that every nation has an inalienable right to its own path of development, Russia will always respect this, and this also refers to Ukraine.
“Russia not only supported Ukraine and other fraternal republics of the former Soviet Union in their bid to sovereignty, but to a sizable extend contributed to this process at the turn of the 1990s. Nothing has changed in our stance since then,” the president said.
“Every nation has an inalienable sovereign right to its own path of development, the choice of allies,” political system, ways of building its economy and ensuring its security, the president said. “Russia will always respect this,” he said.
He went on to say that there is no need to dabble in politics, but it is necessary to provide aid to Ukraine's economy, which Western colleagues do not hurry up doing.
As for Russia, according to Putin, it has lent $32.5-33.5 billion to Ukraine’s economy lately.