SUDAK /Crimea/, August 12. /TASS/: Crimea is part of the Union State of Russia and Belarus as a Russian region, it’s enshrined in Russian laws, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told reporters on Thursday, commenting on Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko’s statement that he was willing to recognize Crimea’s reunification with Russia after "the last of the Russian oligarchs."
"Our Treaty on the Union State of Russia and Belarus has been in effect since 1999. According to the treaty, the Union State includes the territory of the Republic of Belarus and the Russian Federation as determined by their laws. Under our laws, Crimea is naturally part of Russia and is also part of the Union State," the Russian top diplomat emphasized.
After a coup took place in Ukraine in February 2014, authorities in Crimea and the city of Sevastopol held a referendum on reuniting with Russia. Most voters supported the idea (96.7% in Crimea and 95.6% in the city of Sevastopol), and voter turnout was over 80%. On March 18, 2014, Russian Vladimir Putin signed the treaty on Crimea’s reunification with Russia, which was ratified by Russia’s Federal Assembly (parliament) on March 21. However, Kiev refused to recognize Crimea as part of Russia.
