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Crimea and Sevastopol

Russian lawmaker urges NATO to recognize Crimea’s choice to reunite with Russia

According to Alexey Pushkov, NATO should respect Crimea’s choice to reunite with Russia if it demands respecting Montenegro’s choice to join NATO

Alexey Pushkov Anna Isakova/TASS

Alexey Pushkov

© Anna Isakova/TASS

MOSCOW, May 18 /TASS/. Alexey Pushkov, the head of the Russian State Duma Committee for Foreign Affairs, said on Wednesday that NATO should respect Crimea’s choice to reunite with Russia if it demands respecting Montenegro’s choice to join NATO.

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"Stoltenberg [NATO Secretary-General] has called on Russia to respect Montenegro’s choice to join NATO. But, if so, NATO should also recognize Crimea’s choice to reunite with Russia," Pushkov wrote in Twitter on Wednesday.

Earlier on Wednesday, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said that the foreign ministers of 28 member states and the prime minister of Montenegro would meet in Brussels on May 19 to sign the accession protocol on joining NATO.

"Once all Allies have ratified the Protocol, Montenegro will become the 29th member of the Alliance," Stoltenberg said adding that it was the fundamental right of any sovereign country to decide on membership of military alliances.

Stoltenberg also discarded Russia’s concerns over NATO’s expansion as ungrounded. He said that it was absolutely unacceptable to impose any sanctions on countries, which wanted to join NATO.

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Foreign policy Crimea and Sevastopol NATO

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