Guy Verhofstadt said that the foreign ministers of the European Union should temper the promise of their threats.
Chairman of the European faction “Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe” Guy Verhofstadt said that the foreign ministers of the European Union should temper their promise of threats and impose sanctions against Russia for the referendum in Crimea.
On Sunday in Brussels the MEP distributed a statement, in which he called the referendum in Crimea invalid, and urged the Council on Monday to take a decision to freeze the assets and to ban visas for a number of officials who “contributed to the occupation”.
“If the situation remains blocked, the targeted economic measures should be implemented”, – he said.
According to his words, it would be unacceptable, if the Member States continued selling arms and military equipment to Russia after the annexation of Ukraine`s territory”.
A legitimate referendum may be conducted only without the threat of violence and intimidation, with the exact opposite conditions to what it is happening right now in Crimea”, – is said in the statement.
Guy Verhofstadt accused Russia of a military invasion of the peninsula and a referendum under the threat of Russian weapons.
According to him, “the Russian occupation of Crimea can happen, but it will not be recognized”.
He believes that the choice of the Russian leadership puts the country into the “voluntary self- isolation”. “Legal referendums are not held under the threat of a gun”, – said the head of the faction of the European Parliament.
As it was previously reported, the European Party of Ukraine was the first represented in parliament existing political force in Ukraine that integrated into the European political structure and became a full member of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE) – the current liberal centrist faction of the European Parliament. The decision was taken at a party meeting of ALDE on May 10, 2013, which was held in Pula (Croatia). All parties, without exception, expressed their support, about what even the members of the Alliance of Liberals talk enthusiastically. They do not remember such case since the foundation of the ALDE.
Based on the materials of “Dzerkalo Tyzhnia”