Russian parliament approves accession of Crimea
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E-mail Xinhua, March 20, 2014
The Russian State Duma, lower house of parliament, approved Thursday a federal law on the accession of the Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol, where the Russian Black Sea fleet is based.
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Crimean people celebrate Crimea being accepted as part of the Russian Federation in Simferopol, the Republic of Crimea, March 18, 2014. Russian President Vladimir Putin and leaders of Crimea signed a treaty on Tuesday accepting the Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol as part of the Russian territory. [Xinhua] |
The draft laws were submitted to the Duma by President Vladimir Putin and were approved by the Russian constitutional court on Wednesday, a day after Putin signed the treaty with leaders of Crimea to accept the Republic of Crimea and Sevastopol, a former special city-region of Ukraine, as parts of Russian territory.
Speaking at the Duma meeting on behalf of Putin, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov described these documents as a "turning point" in Russia and Crimea's history.
Earlier in the day, Lavrov said all legal procedures governing the accession of Crimea into Russia are to be completed by the weekend.
Ukraine's Autonomous Republic of Crimea held a referendum Sunday with some 96.6 percent of voters opting to join Russia.
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