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Russia’s deputy envoy calls not to believe "horror tales" of Ukraine’s Crimea resolution

Russia’s Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations Gennady Kuzmin invited everyone to visit Crimea and see everything with own eyes

UNITED NATIONS, December 18. /TASS/. The United Nations General Assembly voted on Wednesday in favor of a resolution submitted by Ukraine, which condemns alleged human rights violations in Crimea and the illegal introduction of Russian legislation, jurisdiction and government in that Black Sea peninsula.

Sixty-five nations voted for the resolution, 23 more were against, while a majority of 83 states abstained. Among the countries that voted against the alleged human rights violations in Crimea were Armenia, Belarus, China, Cuba, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Syria and Venezuela.

Russia’s Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations Gennady Kuzmin said at the meeting that "Crimea lives a peaceful and calm life. Everyone can make sure [that it is true]."

"Welcome to the peninsula! Welcome to Russia!" he said asking his colleagues at the UN General Assembly to visit Crimea.

The diplomat urged "not to believe bellicose rhetoric of certain Ukrainian representatives and the wording of the resolution resembling ‘horror tales’," Kuzmin said. "Friendliness and comprehension are needed now in dialogue with the kind people of Ukraine, who fell victim to cynical geopolitical experiments.

The Republic of Crimea and Sevastopol, a city with a special status on the Crimean Peninsula where most residents are ethnic Russians, refused to recognize the legitimacy of the authorities that came to power amid riots during the February 2014 coup in Ukraine.

Crimea and Sevastopol adopted declarations of independence on March 11, 2014. They held a referendum on March 16, 2014, in which 96.77% of Crimeans and 95.6% of Sevastopol voters chose to secede from Ukraine and join the Russian Federation. President Vladimir Putin signed the reunification treaty on March 18, 2014. Ukraine refused to recognize the referendum was legitimate. In July 2014, the European Union and the US imposed sanctions against Crimea and Russia and have repeatedly extended and expanded them.

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