MOSCOW, February 15. /TASS/. The course of events in Ukraine demonstrably proves that Crimeans made the right choice ten years ago in voting for reunification with Russia, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said.
"On March 16, 2014 at the referendum, Crimeans made their fully conscious choice in favor of returning home, in favor of exercising the right to speak their native language, develop their culture, respect their history and traditions," he said at the presentation of a documentary collection titled "Crimea in the development of Russia: history, politics and diplomacy. Documents from the Foreign Ministry’s archives," which is being republished in honor of the memorable date.
"The entire development of the dramatic events in Ukraine shows that reunification with Russia was the only possible correct step for the Crimeans, which fully meets the logic of historical processes and the fundamental interests of the inhabitants of this Russian peninsula," the minister said.
The foreign minister recalled the historic words of Russian President Vladimir Putin, who at that time said that the Russians could not fail to respond to the request of the Crimeans and "could not leave Crimea and its residents in trouble, otherwise it would simply be a betrayal."
Referring to the compilation being presented, Lavrov drew attention to the fact that, "it contains unique and convincing documentary evidence that the fate of Crimea is inextricably linked to that of Russia." "Among such evidence are the texts of treaties, declarations, diplomatic dispatches, letters and telegrams that shed light on the heroic history of Tavrida (ancient name for the Crimean Peninsula - TASS)," he added. "By studying them we can obtain a comprehensive picture of the events that took place on the southern borders of our country during the period from the signing of the Constantinople Peace Treaty in 1700 to the establishment of Soviet power in 1922."