The European Parliament approved on Thursday a resolution calling on the EU authorities to foresee a strengthening of sanctions against the Russian Federation in the event of an ”escalation“ of the situation in the Sea of Azov.
“The intention of the European Parliament to impose sanctions on Russia in the event of an aggravation of the situation in the Sea of Azov is the next phase of the anti-Russian campaign, which has no basis. European officials operate under the Washington instructions on Ukrainian topics in order to create a center of instability in the Sea of Azov region,” Zhelezniak
Zhelezniak
Sergei Vladimiroviсh
said.
According to the member of the State Duma, such unfriendly steps on the part of the European Parliament have nothing to do with protecting the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine and are aimed solely at provoking Russia to act.
“Our country does not violate international laws, while not allowing anyone to dictate the rules of the use of our marine area. The anti-Russian-minded part of the European Parliament is looking for new reasons for maintaining the sanctions regime against Russia, spreading false information about the situation in the region,” the parliamentarian said.
At the beginning of the year, the situation with shipping in the Sea of Azov worsened. In March, Ukraine detained the Russian trawler “Nord”, accusing its captain of illegal visiting the Crimea “with the aim of causing harm to the public interest”. In August, the tanker “Mechanic Pogodin” was detained in the port of Kherson.
Moscow considered Kiev’s actions ”maritime terrorism“ and responded by strengthening border inspections in its part of the Sea of Azov. Then the Ukrainian border guards accused the Russian authorities of ”a strict policy of detention and inspection of vessels.“ The Crimean border department of the FSB stated that it was conducting inspections in accordance with the international maritime law and it had not received complaints from ship owners. The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry acknowledged that Russian border guards did not violate the protocols during the inspections. Later, Kiev announced an intention to strengthen its military presence in the Sea of Azov and create a naval base in the region.
