MOSCOW. April 3 (Interfax) - The Russian Foreign Ministry has issued a commentary over a statement by the Council of Europe's European Commission Against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI) about the infringement of the rights of Tatars and Ukrainian speakers in Crimea.
"We are stunned and bewildered by the ECRI statement about the alleged discrimination against Crimean Tatars and Ukrainians in Crimea, citing credible claims on that score," the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement posted on its website on Wednesday.
"As you know, the measures being taken since the formation of the new Russia constituent regions are aimed at restoring an entire complex of political, socio-economic and cultural rights of representatives of all ethnicities inhabiting Crimea. Russian, Ukrainian and Crimean Tatar are recognized as the official languages in the republic," the ministry said.
The Foreign Ministry also expressed concern over the Commission ignoring instances of discrimination against Russian speakers in Ukraine.
"Against this backdrop, we are disappointed by the Commission's demonstrative silence in the face of well-known, including media-reported, facts of violence and discrimination against non-Ukrainians, primarily, Russian-speaking residents, on the part of the 'new Kyiv authorities.' We hope the ECRI will make sure that Kyiv complies with its call to oppose discrimination against Russian speakers and representatives of other national, ethnic, language and religious minorities," the foreign ministry said.