SIMFEROPOL, August 26. /TASS/. Ukraine accounts for more than 50% of Crimea's exports and ranks first among the trading partners of the Russian region, despite the anti-Russian rhetoric, Georgy Muradov, permanent representative of Crimea under the Russian president and deputy prime minister of the republic’s government, said on Wednesday.
He was speaking at a round-table discussion on cooperation with Armenian business, which was held in the video conference mode.
"Ukraine accounts for more than 50% in the foreign trade of Crimea today despite all the rhetoric of the government circles of the state, which is even hostile sometimes. Our human and business contacts remain at a fairly high level," Muradov said.
He noted that Crimea's trade relations with Armenia have weakened in recent years, urging partners from the Transcaucasus to renew them.
According to Crimea’s Economic Development Ministry, in 2019 the share of Ukraine in the external trade turnover of Crimea increased by 9 percentage points and reached 38.2%. Exports accounted for 54.3%.
Following the 2014 referendum and the reunification of Crimea and Sevastopol with Russia, Ukraine and several other countries imposed a series of sanctions against Russia, Russian businessmen and politicians who visited Crimea and people and companies doing business on the peninsula. Some countries established an information blockade regarding the situation on the peninsula, while Crimea faces difficulties with the representation of the region at international events abroad.