Spanish politicians and businessmen visit Russian-annexed Crimea. Ukraine calls it 'an element of Russia’s hybrid war'
On April 10, a delegation of politicians and businessmen from the Spanish province of Andalusia arrived in the annexed Crimea. According to RIA Novosti, the delegation included the president of the national assembly of Andalusia Pedro Altamirano and the federal coordinator of the national party of Andalusia (the city of Málaga) Salvador Garcia Urbano.
“The delegation is already in the Crimea. It is expected to remain here until the 15th of April. During this time, a whole number of meetings will take place with Crimean businessmen,” the local media cites Sergey Lapenko, director of the Crimean branch of the “Opora Rossii” (“Support of Russia”) organization as saying. According to him, during the visit the Spaniards were shown the “possibilities of Crimea’s viniculture,” and also the catering areas, the tourist resort and construction industries.
Later the media controlled by the Kremlin wrote about the press conference which the delegates gave in Simferopol. Notably, Salvador Garcia Urbano said he is not afraid of possible sanctions from Ukraine for visiting the Crimea.
“We are against any sanctions regarding the Crimea. I believe that going to the Crimea is an exercise of freedom. Ukraine can monitor our visit however it wants. We do not represent the Spanish government, we represent the national assembly of Andalusia, which is registered in Spain. The only thing they can find is that we, as public representatives, came to learn what is going on with you [in the Crimea]. We are free people, we travel where we want, and nobody can take away our freedom to travel and to think how we want,” he noted. Urbano also emphasized that he does not consider it a problem for himself that Ukraine may open a criminal case against him for visiting the Crimea.
Commenting on probable sanctions against him in response to visiting the Crimea, Pedro Altamirano, another member of the delegation called it a “Ukrainian problem”.
“We came on invitation to the Crimea in order to learn what is going on here. If we are invited to Ukraine, we me may go there too,” he noted.
Mariana Betsa, spokesperson for Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry, said that Ukraine considers such an incident “an element of Russia’s hybrid war”.
“We approached Spain’s foreign ministry. Their position has not changed. They do not support the illegal occupation and annexation of the Crimea, and will never recognize the illegal annexation of the Autonomous Republic of Ukraine by Russia,” Betsa said.
With respect to who has been invited to visit the Crimea, it is noted that in this case Russia has resorted to a traditional scenario, it has “invited marginal groups, unknown businessmen and regional politicians, trying to pass this off as the Spain’s position”.
Betsa suggested that the visit was unsanctioned. Kyiv turned to Madrid with a request to take measures to remind citizens about the situation in the annexed Crimea, in order to prevent similar incidents.