German deputies visit Crimea in violation of Ukrainian travel ban
Nine German Deputies from three regional parliaments of Germany came to the Crimea on February 3 in violation of Ukrainian legislation, as reported by RIA Novosti, citing the head of the German cultural autonomy of the peninsula, Yuri Gempel.
"The delegation has arrived to the Crimea. We have already met them. Nine people have arrived," he said. The delegation will stay in the Crimea from 3 to 9 February and includes deputies from the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party from three regional parliaments of the country: Berlin, Brandenburg, and Nordrhein-Westfalen.
After arriving in the Crimea, the German deputies stated that the threat of being banned to enter the mainland of Ukraine does not bother them. "It doesn’t bother us at all, we hope to visit the Crimea many times in future," as Deputy of the Parliament of Nordrhein-Westfalen, Roger Beckamp, told journalists at the Simferopol airport.
As was stated by the Deputy of the parliament of Berlin, parliamentarians hope that "over time, the situation around Ukraine will settle down and normal cooperation with Ukraine will be possible in future."
The "Alternative for Germany" party maintains a pro-Russian policy. Last year its members were elected to the German Parliament for the first time with 12.6% of the popular vote. Compared to previous elections held in Germany in 2013, the number of people who voted for the AfD increased by 7.9%.