Israeli Foreign Ministry refused to recognize the Ukrainian status of Crimea
Ukraine has repeatedly appealed to Israel with a request not to recognize Crimea as part of Russia and to support the Kyiv authorities, but until Moscow and Kyiv come to an agreement on the status of the peninsula, Israel will adhere to neutrality.
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Official representatives of the Israeli Foreign Ministry stated this to Izvestia.
“Any decision that is made on the basis of Russian-Ukrainian dialogue will suit us. If Moscow and Kyiv agree that Crimea is Russian, then we are not against it. Until a consensus is reached, Israel intends to remain neutral. Of course, Kyiv has repeatedly appealed to the Israeli Foreign Ministry with a request to lean towards its side. We, however, are not going to change our position,” Alex Ben-Zvi, Deputy Director General of the Israeli Foreign Ministry and Director of the Eurasia Department, told the publication.
The diplomat stressed that the Crimean issue is different from unilateral uncoupling of Kosovo from Serbia in 2008, the independence of which Israel does not recognize (Belgrade considers Kosovo to be an integral part of its territory, as recorded in the Serbian Constitution).
In turn, the head of the press service of the Israeli Foreign Ministry, Emmanuel Nachshon, also said that the issue of Crimea should be resolved directly between Russia and Ukraine.
“The dialogue between Russia and Israel is now at its peak after the resumption of diplomatic relations between our countries in the early 1990s. Cooperation is developing in all directions. As for Crimea, the issue, of course, needs to be resolved, but first Moscow and Kyiv must do this,” Nashkhon noted.
The Israeli Foreign Ministry has refused to recognize Crimea's Ukrainian status.