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Crimea’s status to be addressed apart from Ukraine’s entry to EU — top Austrian diplomat

Alexander Schallenberg noted that the EU supports the "full restoration of the integrity and sovereignty" of Ukraine

VIENNA, May 29. /TASS/. The European Union will not recognize Crimea as part of Russia but the issue of its status should be considered separately from that of Ukraine’s possible accession to the EU, Austrian Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg said in an interview with the Presse newspaper, which came out on Sunday.

"We have never recognized and will never recognize Crimea’s annexation by Russia. The issue of Crimea should be tackled separately from the issue of Ukraine’s membership in the European Union," he said.

When asked whether "Ukraine with disputed borders" could join the European Union, the minister said that this question cannot be answered unambiguously until combat operation are over.

He stressed however that the European Union supports the "complete restoration of Ukraine’s integrity and sovereignty."

The Republic of Crimea and Sevastopol, a city with a special status on the Crimean Peninsula, where most residents are Russian, refused to recognize the legitimacy of authorities brought to power amid riots during a coup in Ukraine in February 2014.

Crimea and Sevastopol adopted declarations of independence on March 11, 2014. They held a referendum on March 16, 2014, in which 96.7% of Crimeans and 95.6% of Sevastopol voters chose to secede from Ukraine and join the Russian Federation. Russian President Vladimir Putin signed the reunification treaties on March 18, 2014. The documents were ratified by Russia’s Federal Assembly, or bicameral parliament, on March 21.

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