BERLIN
Germany’s Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier has dismissed calls by several German politicians to acknowledge Russia’s annexation of the Crimea.
“This is a clear violation of international law. We cannot endorse or recognize it,” Steinmeier said at a joint press conference with his Polish counterpart Grzegorz Schetyna.
A former leader of Steinmeier’s Social Democrat Party, Matthias Platzchek, sparked a debate on Tuesday with a proposal to recognize the move.
Platzchek suggested an arrangement under international law which could be acceptable to all parties; he proposed holding a referendum on the Crimea that would be monitored by the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe.
A referendum on the status of the Crimea was held on March 16, 2014. The Crimean population voted in a majority to become part of the Russian Federation. The U.S. and the EU denounced the referendum as ilegitimate, as the region was occuptied by Russian soldiers at the time.
Asked about Platzchek’s remarks, Steinmeier said that his position on the problem has not changed, and that Germany would not recognize the annexation.
Berlin has repeatedly criticized Moscow for its policies on Ukraine, but rejected imposing tougher sanctions against Russia.
Steinmeier has undertaken intensive diplomatic efforts for a political solution to the Ukrainian conflict.
Following talks in Kiev and Moscow on Tuesday, Steinmeier said that there were grave differences between the parties on ways to de-escalate the tension in eastern Ukraine.
“Unfortunately, we are still very far from de-escalating the crisis or from a political solution,” Steinmeier said.
He renewed his call for the parties to take steps towards implementing the Minsk protocol, the cease-fire agreement signed between the parties on September 5.
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