MOSCOW, June 11 (RIA Novosti) – European politicians should acknowledge the negative consequences of their policy on Ukraine, Russia's lower house speaker said Wednesday.
State Duma Speaker Sergei Naryshkin has invited everyone who is ready for a deep, fair and professional dialogue to attend the 3rd International parliamentary forum in Moscow slated for June 26.
“Unfortunately, our Western partners are still applying double standards and are seeking not to notice the democratic referendum in Crimea and also cover up such undemocratic and illegal actions like the February coup d'état in Kiev,” Naryshkin said.
This double standard policy has resulted in hundreds of deaths in Odessa, Mariupol, Kramatorsk and other cities and villages across Ukraine. “Our Western partners often say that one has to pay for everything, while forgetting that this formula also applies to them,” he said.
He said the results of the recent elections to the European Parliament have shown that those people who had provoked the events and "added fuel to the fire of the Ukraine crisis" lost the votes while support for those who chose on a more weighted policy increased.
Naryshkin also accused Ukraine of annexing Crimea in 1991 after the fall of the Soviet Union when Ukraine gained its independence.
“In January 1991, the Crimean region held a referendum contesting the transfer of Crimea to Ukraine. A total of 93 percent supported this and the voter turnout reached 81 percent. In fact, 23 years ago Crimea was annexed, in a peaceful way, but indeed this was annexation,” he said, blaming “irresponsible” Russian politicians for the move.
Until Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev transferred Crimea and Sevastopol in 1954 to what was then the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic, the two territories officially belonged to Russia.
In February, the Ukrainian parliament backed by far-right movements ousted President Viktor Yanukovych, amended the constitution and scheduled an early presidential election for May 25.The coup sparked concerns, including in Crimea, about the dangers of ultranationalist forces in the country’s central government.
A referendum in Crimea in mid-March saw over 90 percent of Crimean residents vote to join Russia. Following the vote, Crimea declared independence from Ukraine and signed a treaty to rejoin Russia on March 18. The reunification treaty was ratified by the Russian president and parliament the same week.
