Sole EU observer at elections in Crimea was European Parliament member from Cyprus
During the Russian presidential elections in annexed Crimean territory, the only documented observer with direct ties to European institutes was European Parliament member from Cyprus Eleni Theocharous who visited the Crimea on March 18, reported The Information Resistance website.
Eleni Theocharous is known for her close contact with Russia. On December 13, 2017, she went to the Moscow House of Nationalities to attend the conference “Russia and Crimea in the Post-Byzantine Space: European Values and the Civilization Choice of Nations” chaired by Sergei Markov. There she spoke on “Cypriots relation to modern sociocultural phenomena”. However, three months later she was in Crimea as an “international observer”.
In 2014, Theocharous was the leader of an EU-Armenia friendship group, and actively advocated the recognition of Nagorno-Karabakh, thereby condemning the Azerbaijanis. She also did all she could to absolve Russia, stating that Russia was by no means supporting the degree of tension in the region. “I am not sure if Russia intends to destabilize the region. I do not yet possess such facts. Consequently, from my side it would be wrong to accuse Russia of destabilizing the region and of presenting itself as a political judge for its own interests,” she told the First Armenian information channel.
Theocharous and two other members of European Parliament also attended the so-called constitutional referendum in Karabakh, which Baku officially opposed. Azerbaijan placed all the observers including Theocharous on the international wanted list, but Interpol later removed them.