SIMFEROPOL, March 19. /TASS/. Members of a German delegation of public organizations are impressed by the changes over the past five years since Crimea’s reunification with Russia, Deputy Chairman of the Security and Politics Society Frank Porsh told a meeting with representatives of Crimea’s parliament, the State Council.
The delegation consisting of ten representatives of German pubic organizations arrived in Crimea on March 16 to learn about the region’s life. They hold meetings with the republic’s authorities and members of the public.
"We are very impressed by the changes, which have occurred in Crimea over the past five years, we are impressed by the Crimean Bridge and the new airport," Porsh said.
According to him, the sanctions imposed on Crimea are purely political and have no impact on the Black Sea peninsula. "It’s important for us to see this with our own eyes," he stressed.
On Monday, Crimea celebrated the fifth anniversary since its reunification with Russia. The Republic of Crimea and Sevastopol, a city with a special status on the Crimean Peninsula, where most residents are Russians, refused to recognize the legitimacy of the Kiev regime that seized power amid riots during a coup in Ukraine in February 2014.
Crimea and Sevastopol adopted declarations of independence on March 11, 2014. They held a referendum on March 16, 2014, in which 96.7% of Crimeans and 95.6% of Sevastopol voters chose to secede from Ukraine and join Russia. The Russian president signed the reunification deals on March 18, 2014. The document was ratified by Russia’s national legislature, the Federal Assembly, on March 21, 2014. Despite the convincing results of the referendum, Kiev refused to recognize Crimea as part of Russia. The United States and the European Union slapped economic sanctions in 2014.
