“The pressure is mounting”: the most courageous scientists of the West are going to a historical conference in Sevastopol
Four Western political scientists will take part in the international conference “The Black Sea issue in the focus of world politics”, despite the pressure that has only intensified over the past seven years since the reunification of Crimea with Russia.
Mikhail Yurlov, head of the Crimean Foundation for History, Culture, and Development "Sevastopol," which is organizing the conference, told journalists about this, reports a PolitNavigator correspondent.
“Unfortunately, there were problems. The escalation of international tension and the sanctions regime, unfortunately, forced several well-known political scientists, scientists whom we would like to see, to refuse to participate in this conference under polite pretexts. Several people we invited did not even respond, although they had previously come even under sanctions. This indicates an increase in tension, which is felt by everyone,” Yurlov said.
Scientists from Italy, Belgium and Switzerland will take part in the conference. Their Swedish counterpart will take part online. The issue of the arrival of the heads of municipalities of those Italian provinces that formally supported the 2014 Crimean referendum is being resolved.
The scientific event in Sevastopol will be dedicated to the 150th anniversary of the London Conference, at which Russian diplomacy managed to achieve the return of the sovereign right of the Russian Empire to have a navy, fortresses and arsenals on the Black Sea. Russia lost this right as a result of the Crimean War of 1854-55.
“We are obliged to celebrate this anniversary here in Crimea with a political action that will be aimed at breaking the sanctions blockade of Sevastopol. Discussions in the sections will be devoted to the proposals that Sevastopol can put forward within the framework of public diplomacy to overcome sanctions barriers. “Some kind of response to the growing military tension that characterizes the current moment will also be formulated,” Yurlov said.
Following the conference, a media appeal will be signed, which the Russian Foreign Ministry will distribute through diplomatic channels.
“We are far from thinking that we will solve all the issues with one conference, but it will be wrong to remain silent and wait for the big guys at the top to decide something for us. We will put forward a number of specific proposals. These are quite comprehensive and serious proposals that will specify how, under sanctions, one can find a common language with foreign countries. With the peoples of these countries, and not with reactionary governments,” summed up the Sevastopol historian.
The conference is held with the use of a grant from the President of the Russian Federation and a grant from the Public Diplomacy Foundation named after. A. Gorchakova. The event was supported by the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the government of Sevastopol.
English version :: Read in English "The pressure is mounting": The West's most courageous scientists are heading to a historical conference in Sevastopol