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EU must respect Crimea’s choice like it respects results of Greece’s voting — lawmaker

The Greek referendum prompts the European Union to change its strategy and will obviously impact further formation of the global economy, Olga Kovitidi believes
Olga Kovitidi, a member of the Russian parliament’s upper parliament house, the Federation Council, representing the republic of Crimea ITAR-TASS/ Anton Novoderezhkin
Olga Kovitidi, a member of the Russian parliament’s upper parliament house, the Federation Council, representing the republic of Crimea
© ITAR-TASS/ Anton Novoderezhkin

MOSCOW, July 6. /TASS/. The European Union should respect the choice of Crimea’s residents like it respects the results of the Greek Sunday referendum, Olga Kovitidi, a member of the Russian parliament’s upper parliament house, the Federation Council, representing the republic of Crimea, said on Monday.

Debt-laden Greece owing creditors more than €300 billion voted in a referendum on Sunday to decide on whether to agree to the terms of European lenders. Most of the Greeks (61.31%) voted against the creditor terms.

Kovitidi reminded that German Chancellor Angela Merkel had said ahead of the Greek referendum that its results were to be respected. "I would like to see such a constructive attitude towards the results of Crimea’s referendum, which also was the expression of people’s will and was organized in full compliance with all charter documents of the United Nations," she underscored.

She said the results of Greece’s voting "will inevitably change Europe’s political landscape." "The Greek referendum prompts the European Union to change its strategy and will obviously impact further formation of the global economy," Kovitidi said, adding that the voting results were predictable for those "who know the Greek mentality." "It is the second ‘oxi’ [‘no’ — TASS] of the Greek people. The first one was said to Nazism in the 20th century, the second ‘oxi’ was said by the Greeks against the policy of Berlin and Brussels," she said. In her words, this way the Greeks said they did not want to be "slaves to Western corporations" and make a "depersonalized client state with no national interests" of their country.

On the backdrop of a political crisis and the change of power in Ukraine, Crimea’s Supreme Council (parliament) and Sevastopol’s City Council adopted on March 11, 2014 Crimea’s and Sevastopol’s declaration of independence. A referendum on reunification with Russia was held on March 16, 2014. With a record-breaking turnout of 80%, the overwhelming majority of Crimea’s and Sevastopol residents (96.7 and 95.6%, respectively) voted in favor of ceding from Ukraine to join Russia. After the treaty of Crimea’s and Sevastopol’s reunification with Russia was approved by the Russian parliament, President Vladimir Putin on March 21, 2014 signed a federal law on admitting two new constituent entities in the Russian Federation.

Despite the absolutely convincing results of the referendum, Ukraine, the United States and the European Union have been refusing to recognize Crimea as a part of Russia.

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