BEIJING, March 17. /ITAR-TASS/. Beijing calls on all parties involved in the Ukrainian situation to remain restrained. The country’s Deputy Foreign Minister Li Baodong made the statement on Monday, while commenting on results of the referendum in Crimea.
“China has been paying much attention to the development of the situation in Ukraine,” he said. “We are calling on all the parties to remain calm and restrained to avoid escalation of the tension in the country,” he added.
“Settlement of the Ukrainian issue may be only carried out by political methods, by means of a dialogue,” Li Baodong said.
At the referendum in Crimea on Sunday, 96.6% supported the republic’s accession to the Russian Federation, Head of the Supreme Council’s Commission on Referendum Organization Mikhail Malyshev said on air of the Krym (Crimea) broadcasting company on Monday.
The television channel reports 100% ballots have been processed.
The data did not include votes from Sevastopol.
A referendum on the status of Crimea was held on the peninsula on Sunday, March 16. The voter turnout exceeded 81%.