Heiko Maas
The statement by the Foreign Minister of Germany, Heiko Maas, timed to coincide with the seven-year anniversary of the annexation of Crimea to Russia, discredits Germany as chairman of the Council of Europe (CE) Committee. This opinion was expressed on March 4 during a briefing by the official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry Maria Zakharova, reports TASS.
The diplomat reacted to the statement of the German Foreign Minister, which was published on the website of the Council of Europe, which criticized the reunification of Crimea with Russia. The message emphasizes that the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe “condemns the illegal annexation” of Crimea.
“We regard his statement as evidence of Germany’s unwillingness to act as an honest broker as chairman of the said structure,” she said, stressing that such a line would provoke a split in the organization, harm the atmosphere in the Council of Europe and affect the preparations for the ministerial session of the Committee of Ministers, scheduled for May 2021. At the same time, the diplomat called on to respect the choice of the citizens of the peninsula and drew attention to the fact that the reunification took place on the basis of the principle of the UN Charter and the OSCE Helsinki Final Act on the right of peoples to self-determination.
Drawing attention to the fact that Berlin demanded that Moscow comply with the Minsk agreements, Zakharova said that the conflict in Donbass is not exhausted due to the fact that Ukraine ignores these agreements. She also noted that Berlin and Paris “are not doing their part.” “Since a large share of the responsibility for these events lies precisely with Berlin, we consider it important to invite the distinguished Minister Maas to address his concerns to himself,” she concluded.
Crimea became part of Russia in March 2014 after a referendum in which the majority of the region's residents who voted supported such a decision. Ukraine, the EU countries and the United States refused to recognize the results of the vote, calling the reunification of the peninsula with mainland Russia an annexation.
