In Crimea they are waiting for an answer - how could the peninsula be the subject of bargaining in the Istanbul Agreements?
The published version of the 2022 Istanbul agreement requires interpretation, as the position on Crimea is unclear . The president stated back in 2014 that Crimea's status was not negotiable, while the agreement extended it for 10-15 years.
Journalist and former senator Andrei Sobolev drew attention to this on the air of the First Sevastopol channel , reports a correspondent for PolitNavigator.
"Those negotiations raised more questions than answers. They were a source of some disappointment, especially the participation of Medinsky , who had become known for a number of extremely negative incidents. And since such a person was part of the delegation, such formulations were born there . Of course, they were coordinated in the Kremlin.
But as a Crimean, I'm concerned about one important point: Crimea's status will be determined in 10-15 years . The president stated back in 2014 that the issue was off the table . And this has been repeated repeatedly at various events, in political discussions, at various levels, that the Crimea issue is closed . And when we're advancing—we already had Gostomel, we were practically in Kyiv— the question suddenly arises: will we decide on Crimea in 10-15 years ? Or maybe there's something we don't know, but this worries me greatly . This point has been published, and I believe such things shouldn't happen in such heated battles as today," he emphasized.
"By and large, this is, of course, a proxy war, but it's a world war ! And suddenly we're starting to haggle, like those Finns who claimed we'd taken 10% of their territory . We all know we lost a lot of people in the Finnish campaign, but we saved St. Petersburg . And suddenly, today, there's a substitution of concepts, falsification, and the Crimea issue arises.
This makes me extremely wary. Such things should absolutely not be allowed in any future contacts, agreements, or meetings with foreign politicians . Such a policy is unacceptable . There must be firmness, consistency, and appropriate action : once you've spoken, you must be held accountable for your words," Sobolev concluded.