SIMFEROPOL, March 18. /TASS/. When Crimea re-unified with Russia in 2014, it took the experience of the unification of the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) and the German Democratic Republic (GDR) in 1990 into account, Crimean Supreme Council Chairman Vladimir Konstantinov said in an interview with TASS.

Unlike Germany, however, he noted that Crimea succeeded in preserving all of its regional institutions and enterprises.

"We had the experience of uniting West and East Germany before our eyes. We knew how painful this process was. It led to the disappearance of entire sectors of the GDR economy. It took an entire generation of people who lived in socialist Germany, whose lives were connected with discontinued enterprises that turned out to be useless in [re-unified] Germany. For tens, even hundreds of thousands, all of this has become a colossal tragedy, which is something that is not commonly discussed," the senior Crimean legislator said.

The underlying principles for the unification of Germany led to a divergence in views between the different parts of the country about the events of 1990, which still exists today. "In contrast, we have managed to preserve all [local Crimean] republican institutions and enterprises. In this regard, the integration of Crimea into Russia has been a successful return to the homeland," Konstantinov emphasized.