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Crimea and Sevastopol

Putin says Crimea’s parliament was absolutely legitimate

I would like to draw attention to the fact that Crimea’s parliament was an legitimate representative power body in Crimea when it voted in favour of reunification with Russia, President said

Sergei Aksyonov Valery Matytsin/TASS

Sergei Aksyonov

© Valery Matytsin/TASS

VLADIVOSTOK, March 15. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin said Crimea’s parliament was an absolutely legitimate legislative body when it voted in favour of reunification with Russia.

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Putin says relied on poll results in issue around Crimea

"We were to ensure the work of the representative power body, the Crimean parliament. To have it gather and take legitimate actions, people were to feel safe," Putin said in a documentary "Crimea. The Path to the Motherland" that was broadcasted by Russia’s television channel Rossiya 1 on Sunday. "I would like to draw your attention to the fact that Crimea’s parliament was an absolutely legitimate representative power body in Crimea. It has been formed much earlier than those complicated and tragic events. And these people gathered together, voted and elected a new prime minister of Crimea - Sergei Valeryevich Aksyonov. And the legitimate President /of Ukraine Viktor/ Yanukovich approved him."

"Everything was absolutely in line with the Ukrainian law," the Russian president noted. "Of course, people might be saying whatever they want, interpreting those event any way they want but if we look at the situation from the legal point of view, everything was just perfect. But to create safe conditions for people so that they were not afraid for themselves and their families, we had to ensure their security. And we did it.".

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Crimea and Sevastopol

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