The Crimean Platform is a very important initiative of Ukraine and has received a very positive response from the international community and the Euro-Atlantic community, said NATO Deputy Secretary General Mircea Geoana.
“This is what is useful and should be used. This kind of constant attention and pressure on Russia is something that needs to be continued. We are all interested in making sure that this very aggressive position of Russia continues to be a real red line of the political West. This is something that we can never accept – aggressive territorial changes in Europe – and that is why we are all true friends for Ukraine for the long term,” Geoana said in an exclusive interview with Interfax-Ukraine.
NATO’s Deputy Secretary General welcomed this initiative of the Ukrainian leadership. “It is important for the international community and like-minded democracies to continue to keep this topic very high on the international agenda. All allies, NATO, the EU around the world have said very clearly that we will never recognize this illegal and immoral annexation,” he said.
At the same time, Geoana expressed hope that this initiative will also bring a structured mechanism at the political, practical and expert levels.
“I think this is something very important. I am glad to see an important level of international participation: heads of state, prime ministers, ministers, the EU and NATO. Therefore, I believe that this is an initiative that is not only an important event – that is why we are here – but I also think that it will be a very useful tool to keep this topic very high on the agenda of the international community, as well as to use all diplomatic means to influence the conversation around Crimea,” he said.
