© EPACristina Fernandez de Kirchner
Kirchner compared the situation in Crimea with another event in modern history. The Falkland Islands also held a referendum a year ago. It is a disputed territory, claimed by both Argentina and the United Kingdom. In 1982, the opposition even resulted in an open military conflict, Russian Channel One reminded.
Britain then defended the Falklands by force of arms, and last March almost all the residents voted to stay a part of the kingdom in a plebiscite. The UN did not question the legality of the vote at that time, Kirchner reminded.
"Many of the major powers, which have secured the Falklands' people right to self-determination, do not want to do the same in relation to the Crimea now. How can you call yourselves guarantors of world stability, if you do not apply the same standards for everyone? It looks like the Crimeans cannot express their will, but the residents of the Falklands can. There is zero logic in that," she said.
The EU countries and the US government refused to recognize the results of the referendum in the Crimea, with region's residents voting almost unanimously for joining Russia.
The EU imposed second-tier sanctions against Russia on Monday, as a retaliation measure to the holding of a referendum in Crimea. Financial assets freezing and a visa ban on entry into the EU countries were applied to those Russian officials, who the West calls responsible for the annexation of the Crimea.
The US sanctions have affected an even higher tier - Barack Obama signed a decree that prohibits entry into the United States and seizes US assets of seven Russian officials and deputies: the Federation Council Speaker Valentina Matviyenko, Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin, Presidential Adviser Sergei Glazyev, Assistant to President Vladislav Surkov, State Duma deputies Elena Mizulina and Leonid Slutskiy, Senator Andrey Klishas.
Rejecting contacts with Russia, the West harms himself, not us, the Vzglyad newspaper states. As a response to the US and European sanctions the State Duma issued a document named "On the US and EU sanctions," suggesting that Western leaders should extend restrictions on all Russian deputies.
Voice of Russia, Vzglyad.ru
supportining the American resolution against the rights of Cremean people to selfdetermination. Was it a mistake? I was dissapointed then, now I have an impression that Ms Korschner is trying to improve her image, but for me she has lost a lot of her credibility voting with US against Creamian return to motherland.