01:49Italy: Veneto council member hails 'great success' of vote recognising Crimea
Members of the Regional Council of Veneto voted 27-9 in favour of a bill officially recognising Crimea as a part of the Russian Federation, at the council’s session in Venice, Wednesday.
After the council’s session signatories of the resolution posed for journalists outside the Veneto council building, holding Russian flags. Stefano Valdegamberi, a member of the Veneto council, commented of the vote, saying that "It went very well, 27 people votes yes, and just 9 voted against the resolution. It was a great success beyond expectations. This shows the willingness of people of Veneto, that we represent here, to find a solution to a situation that is damaging our business and our relationship with Russia."
"We want to restart good relationship and business affairs with Russia, we want the embargo finished and, finally, all the sanctions against the Russian Federation to be cancelled," he added.
A total of 25 out of 51 members of the regional parliament drafted the document, which urges Italian authorities to recognise the March 2014 referendum in Crimea, which resulted in the reunification of the peninsula with Russia. The resolution denounces the rejection of the referendum results by the European Union, stating that it ignores both the will of the people and the historical and cultural backgrounds that led to the vote.
The resolution also calls for EU sanctions against Russia to be lifted.
01:49Members of the Regional Council of Veneto voted 27-9 in favour of a bill officially recognising Crimea as a part of the Russian Federation, at the council’s session in Venice, Wednesday.
After the council’s session signatories of the resolution posed for journalists outside the Veneto council building, holding Russian flags. Stefano Valdegamberi, a member of the Veneto council, commented of the vote, saying that "It went very well, 27 people votes yes, and just 9 voted against the resolution. It was a great success beyond expectations. This shows the willingness of people of Veneto, that we represent here, to find a solution to a situation that is damaging our business and our relationship with Russia."
"We want to restart good relationship and business affairs with Russia, we want the embargo finished and, finally, all the sanctions against the Russian Federation to be cancelled," he added.
A total of 25 out of 51 members of the regional parliament drafted the document, which urges Italian authorities to recognise the March 2014 referendum in Crimea, which resulted in the reunification of the peninsula with Russia. The resolution denounces the rejection of the referendum results by the European Union, stating that it ignores both the will of the people and the historical and cultural backgrounds that led to the vote.
The resolution also calls for EU sanctions against Russia to be lifted.