Makei: Crimea not a state to be recognized

On Friday, 8 April, a press conference of Belarus Foreign Minister Uladzimir Makei was held in Moscow. One of the questions discussed was Crimea.

"In politics, it is necessary to proceed from reality," nn.by quoted Makei as saying.  "Our President has repeatedly spoken on this subject, saying that we must understand who owns Crimea today and to build policies and interact with them."

"With regard to the recognition or non-recognition, Crimea is not a state that requires recognition. No one requires recognition from us. We consider whose Crimea today de facto. This does not mean that we agree or disagree with something. We believe that now the main task is to preserve the territorial integrity and inviolability of the rest of Ukraine and for this we have provided a venue for negotiations," said Foreign Minister.

Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine in February-March 2014, triggering West's sanctions against Moscow.