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Crimea and Sevastopol

West only encourages Kiev’s neo-Nazi attitude through Crimean Platform — Lavrov

The Russian foreign minister pointed out that the West’s move to support the Kiev coup and reproach Moscow for its alleged annexation of Crimea was deplorable

SUDAK /Crimea/, August 12. /TASS/. The West will encourage Kiev’s neo-Nazi attitude at the Crimean Platform meeting initiated by Ukraine, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said, addressing members of the Tavrida art cluster on Thursday.

"Another coven will take place in a week, the Crimean Platform meeting, where the West will continue to foster the neo-Nazi and racist attitudes of the current Ukrainian authorities," he pointed out.

Lavrov pointed out that the West’s move to support the Kiev coup and reproach Moscow for its alleged annexation of Crimea was deplorable. "You can see what has been happening to the Russian language in Ukraine since then, and how they are making every possible effort to diminish the free will of the Crimean people," he added.

The Crimean Platform was initiated by Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky in order to coordinate efforts at the international level to bring Crimea back into Ukraine’s jurisdiction. The platform is expected to be launched on August 23, when the so-called inauguration summit will be held.

After a coup took place in Ukraine in February 2014, authorities in Crimea and the city of Sevastopol held a referendum on reuniting with Russia. Most voters supported the idea (96.7% in Crimea and 95.6% in the city of Sevastopol), and voter turnout was over 80%. On March 18, 2014, Russian Vladimir Putin signed the treaty on Crimea’s reunification with Russia, which was ratified by Russia’s Federal Assembly (parliament) on March 21. However, Kiev refused to recognize Crimea as part of Russia.

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Crimea and Sevastopol Ukraine Sergey Lavrov Russian Foreign Ministry

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