Kiev issues note of protest to Berlin over German politicians’ visit to Crimea
The Ukrainian Ambassador to Germany, Andrey Melnik, wrote on Twitter that Ukraine sent a note to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Germany protesting the visit of the Chairman of the youth wing of the anti-migrant Alternative for Germany party, Marcus Frohnmayer, and Alternative for Germany Member of the European Parliament, Marcus Pretzell.
“We sent note of protest to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Germany because of illegal visit of German politicians to Crimea,” Melnik wrote.
“The illegal visit to Crimea isn’t a trivial issue but a serious crime,” Spiegel quoted the Ambassador as saying. Melnik noted that the Federal Government of Germany should take all the steps necessary to prevent such violation of Ukrainian legislation in the future. As previously reported, on the 14th of April, the MEPs Marcus Pretzell (Germany) and Jaromír Kohlíček (the Czech Republic), and also MPs of the Austrian Parliament visited the annexed Crimea to participate in the Yalta Economic Forum.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine calls on all foreign citizens to strictly adhere to Ukrainian legislation and entry and exit procedures while travelling to the country. “Ukraine will respond to any violations of the established procedure.”
“Restrictions determined by Ukrainian legislation will be applied to the violator, in particular, by means of prohibition on entry to the territory of Ukraine,” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated.
The internationally recognized Ukrainian territory of Crimea was annexed by the Russian Federation in March of 2014 in the wake of the Ukrainian revolution. The Kremlin has faced international condemnation for its annexation of the Peninsula, leading many western countries to impose economic sanctions against Russia. In the United Nations, only Afghanistan, Belarus, North Korea, Cuba, Nicaragua, Venezuela, and Syria recognize Crimea as a legitimate federal subject of Russia.