SIMFEROPOL. June 19 (Interfax) - Crimea thrives despite the Western sanctions against it, the restrictive measures make no difference to the region while undermining the principles of democracy and the international authority of the European Union, the republic's leader Sergei Aksyonov said.
"The EU has extended its sanctions against Crimea and Sevastopol by one more year. This brings to mind the old Russian saying: a calf is going to frighten the bear. In Crimea, one is reminded of the existence of sanctions only after reports in the media. This EU decision, like all others before it, will have no effect on our region's socio-economic development," Aksyonov wrote on his Facebook page on Monday.
Everything that has been built in recent years, from the Crimean bridge to new kindergartens to nurses and midwives' centers, took place under the sanctions, he said. "Under the sanctions, we held a huge number of international events and hosted representatives from practically half of the world's countries. The fourth international economic forum alone, held in Yalta in April of this year, was attended by guests from 71 countries. Authoritative politicians and public figures from Europe have been talking about Crimeans' legitimate right to self-determination, about the need to recognize Crimea as an integral part of Russia," Aksyonov said.
But there is also another side to this issue, he said. "Sanctions are a sign of the hypocrisy of the current European leaders, of their inclination towards dictatorial methods. The sanctions policy is amoral and insults the residents of Crimea and Sevastopol, it violates the fundamental human rights amd undermines the principles of democracy and the EU's international authority," Aksyonov said.
It was reported that on June 18 the EU Council extended its restrictive measures until June 23, 2019.