MOSCOW, Feb 4 (RIA Novosti). Arrived in the Crimea, parliamentarians from Germany criticized restrictive measures against Russia, and also said that they were skeptical about anti-Russian sanctions that did not lead to success.

It is noted that the delegation, consisting of deputies of the three regional parliaments of the country, will stay in Crimea from the third to the ninth of February. It included deputies from the party "Alternative for Germany" from the three regional parliaments of the country: Berlin, Brandenburg and Rhein-Westphalia.

It is expected that parliamentarians from Germany will meet with the leadership of the republic, representatives of national-cultural associations, as well as visit large infrastructure facilities and agricultural enterprises under construction.

"The delegation arrived in the Crimea, we met them already, and nine people came in. The meeting was held in a friendly atmosphere, they came to us with a positive," the Crimean authorities told.

It is reported that the representatives of the delegation are showing great interest in establishing partnership relations with the Crimea in order to create favorable conditions for the entry of German business into the region.

Purpose of the visit

According to the representatives of the delegation, the purpose of their visit is to submit a "special signal" about the intention to cooperate with the Russian side.

"We want to give a special signal to the trip, because we consider joint fruitful coexistence with Russia very important, it's all in our program," said one member of the delegation.

He also recalled the words of the famous German politician of the twentieth century, Willy Brandt, against the background of the visit of the German delegation to the Crimea.

"Whoever is in the dialogue, he does not shoot," added Uwe Bronzon.

Without pressure

As representatives of the delegation noted, the German political circles did not exert any pressure on parliamentarians who decided to visit the peninsula. They also noted that the issue of the visit to Crimea was discussed within the framework of the party.

At the same time, German deputies said they were not concerned about the threats of the Ukrainian authorities to prohibit them from entering Ukraine after visiting the Crimea.

"We are not (the threats of the Ukrainian authorities) do not bother, we expect to visit the Crimea in the future more than once," said one representative of the delegation.

The parliamentarians also expressed hope that "over time the situation around Ukraine will settle down and normal work with Ukraine in the future will be possible."

In addition, the deputies noted that the German business should independently decide which regions to work with. They also criticized the sanctions against Russia.

"Sanctions never led to success, we look at them very critically." German firms themselves must decide in which regions they should work, "said one delegation representative.

According to parliamentarians, the introduction of anti-Russian sanctions was a mistake, as they have a negative impact on Russia and Germany.

He also said that this trip will allow making some recommendations for German firms on doing business in the Crimea.

Earlier, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Pavel Klimkin announced the preparation of restrictive measures against German companies operating in the Crimea in spite of EU sanctions.

Member states of the European Union introduced in 2014 restrictive measures against Russia against the backdrop of the Ukrainian crisis. In addition, official Berlin repeatedly linked the issue of lifting sanctions with the implementation of the Minsk agreements. However, the Russian authorities have repeatedly noted that Russia is not a party to the conflict in the Donbass and the subject of the Minsk agreements, and it is counterproductive to talk with it in the language of sanctions. According to estimates of economists and statements of some Western countries, the EU states incur serious losses in connection with sanctions against Russia.

Foreign delegations

Foreign delegations repeatedly visited the Crimea after the entry of the peninsula into Russia. Earlier, with an official visit to the republic, the Norwegian delegation arrived. Its representatives announced the legality of the annexation of the territory to Russia, and also noted that they intend to convince the western states that Crimea is part of Russia. In addition, a delegation from Norway noted the absence of facts of human rights violations against speculation from the Ukrainian side on this issue. In general, they said that the impression of the Crimea exceeded all expectations.

In addition, delegations from China, USA, Italy, Germany visited the Crimea as part of politicians and businessmen, a delegation of European and Ukrainian politicians.

As previously reported by the head of the Crimean parliament Vladimir Konstantinov, the overall growth of the popularity of the peninsula among foreigners against the backdrop of sanctions after accession to Russia. According to him, in 2017 the republic was visited by representatives of 60 countries.

"When the Crimea was not under sanctions, we did not go to that much," said Konstantinov.

Crimea became the Russian region after a referendum held in the peninsula in 2014. More than 90 percent of the residents of the republic voted to join Russia. The plebiscite was held after the coup d'état in Ukraine in February 2014. The Ukrainian authorities call the peninsula "temporarily occupied territory," and Western states do not recognize the referendum held in Crimea. However, the Russian authorities repeatedly noted that the inhabitants of the peninsula democratically, in full accordance with international law and the UN Charter voted for reunification with Russia. As the President of Russia Vladimir Putin has emphasized, the question of Crimea "is closed definitively".

Link: https://ria.ru/politics/20180204/1513933498.html