Slovak Prime Minister Eduard Heger (OLaNO) at the inaugural summit of the Crimea Platform in Kiev has stated that Slovakia would never recognise the illegal annexation of Crimea. "More than seven years ago Russia violated international law and illegally annexed part of Ukraine's territory. Time will not absolve Russia of responsibility for its actions, nor will it relieve the international community of the need to pay attention to Ukraine," said Heger. "Crimea is Ukraine . . . We'll never recognise changes in borders through force. We'll never recognise the illegal annexation of Crimea, and we fully support Ukraine's diplomatic efforts to restore its sovereignty [over the peninsula] and territorial integrity," said the Slovak premier, adding that EU sanctions against Russia will remain in place until its occupation of Crimea ends.
The Crimea Platform is a new consultative platform that was initiated by Ukraine and its President Volodymyr Zelensky. The main objective of the platform is to bring about the end of the Russian occupation of Crimea and to restore Ukraine's sovereignty over the territory. The platform will operate at several levels: Presidents and Prime Ministers, Foreign Affairs Ministers, inter-parliamentary cooperation and a network of experts.
