Original Material
French delegation says Crimea under Russia is ‘free’ and ‘happy’
In Crimea, “there’s no occupation, no armed men, and people are free,” according to Thierry Mariani, the head of a delegation of French lawmakers who visited Crimea earlier this week.
In his remarks about the trip, Mariani addressed criticism from the French government about visiting what Paris considers to be occupied territory.
“I’m happy to be here, to emphasize that we [the French] are free. This is the freedom of individuals elected by the people to travel the world, and also the freedom of whole peoples to choose their own destiny,” Mariani said.
“This is a peaceful region, and the people here live freely and happily,” Mariani told journalists in Sevastopol.
- A group of ten French parliament members is due to travel from Moscow to Crimea on July 23. Eight of them are representatives of former French president Nikolas Sarkozy’s center-right Republican party. The French Foreign Minister has denounced the visit, and representatives of the French government have stated that the trip is a violation of international law.
- The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry has announced that the visit has not been approved by Ukraine, and that Ukraine will impose sanctions on the French politicians who visit Crimea, including a travel ban to Ukraine. The Foreign Ministry called the visit “an irresponsible act, a demonstration of disrespect towards the state sovereignty of Ukraine, and a conscious violation of Ukrainian law.”
- Russia absorbed Crimea in March 2014 after a controversial secessionist referendum. Neither France nor Ukraine has recognized the results of this referendum.