Suchergebnisse

In 1954, Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev transferred the Crimean peninsula from the Russian SFSR to the Ukraine to "consolidate the Russian people's boundless confidence in […] the Ukraine people." Though this was a personal tragedy for many Russians in Crimea, decades later it turned out to be an instrument of influence for post-Soviet governments that has helped to keep independent Ukraine within the Russian world. In 2001 58 per cent of the Crimean population were still ethnic Russians, and Sevastopol, the largest port in Crimea, is still the naval base of the Russian Black Sea Fleet. But given that radical nationalist political forces in the Ukraine are opposed to Russia's role as an informal guarantor of the political, linguistic and cultural specifics of the peninsula, Russia should use more of its soft power to strengthen its influence in Crimea. (IFSH/Pll)

A roundtable discussion on the problems and prospects of European integration, featuring Consul General of the Russian Federation in Simferopol, Vyacheslav Svetlichny; Deputy Director, Institute of Europe, Russian Academy of Sciences, Head of the European Programs of the Russky Mir Foundation, Alexey Gromyko; and President of the Institute of European Studies, Alexander Gaponenko; and moderated by Armen Oganesyan is presented. Today touch on many humanitarian issues related to the impact of the crisis in Europe, affecting both the practical issues and issues of mentality. Svetlichny says currently, they are going through a very difficult period, both in Russian-Ukrainian bilateral relations as well as for each of the countries represented here. There are plans to sign a Ukraine-European Union association agreement that has caused hot debates, and Crimea was not left aside. Meanwhile, Gromyko says the 21St century brings them all face to face with an intriguing paradox: to stay internationally important and influential under the new historical conditions, it is necessary for states aspiring to obtain leading roles in regional and global governance not to follow the traditional line on national sovereignty, but, on the contrary, to strive to become the core of an integrative alliance, even if that involves delegating a part of their sovereignty to supranational structures. Adapted from the source document.