Fillon: Russia will never leave Crimea
PARIS, April 20 — RIA Novosti. Russia will never leave Crimea, historically a Russian territory, said the candidate for President of France on the center-right party the Republicans, former Prime Minister Francois Fillon.
“It is useless to be stubborn and say that Russia must withdraw from Crimea, this will never happen,” said Fillon in an interview with the newspaper Figaro.
According to him, the approach to the Crimean issue, it is necessary to take into account two fundamental and contradictory principles: respect of borders and the right of people to self-determination
“Nobody can deny that Crimea is Russian historical, cultural and linguistic points of view”, — stressed the ex-Premier.
According to Fillon, the situation in Crimea can be resolved with the help of a special international conference under the auspices of the UN.
Previously, the candidates in the French presidential pre-election debates discussed including relations with Russia. The opinions of politicians were divided: three of the five called for new approaches to the solution of the question of Crimea, and two have announced their intention to withstand harsh tone against Moscow. Then Francois Fillon used in support of the Russian argument about the right of Nations to self-determination. His reasoning was based around the fate of Kosovo, recognised as independent by the United States and Western countries, contrary to the will of Serbia.
Crimea became a Russian region after held there in March 2014 referendum in which 96.77% of voters of the Republic of Crimea and 95.6% of residents of Sevastopol voted for joining Russian Federation. The vote held after a coup in Ukraine. Kiev still considers Crimea its but temporarily occupied territory. The Russian leadership has repeatedly stated that the inhabitants of the Peninsula voted for reunification with Russia in a democratic way, in full compliance with international law and the UN Charter.
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