Russian Media: German Foreign Minister calls for friendship with Russia despite annexation of Crimea
German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel is convinced that, despite the European Union's position on the annexation of the Crimea, Russia and Europe need to stabilize relations.
He said this at the 10th Russian-German Raw Material Conference that took place in St. Petersburg, Interfax reports.
"The annexation of the Crimea is a step that is contrary to international law. However, we are all responsible for peace and stability in Europe. Our relations should not develop in a spiral of distrust, in a spiral of increasing armament," the news agency quoted Gabriel as saying.
According to Interfax, the German foreign minister also said that Russia and Europe should create conditions for peace and stability on the continent and that "friendship and the desire for peaceful existence are important, an opportunity, despite political problems, to find a way to each other."
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, North Korea, Cuba, Nicaragua, Venezuela, and Syria recognize Crimea as a legitimate federal subject of Russia.