Estonian foreign minister says Russia's decision on Crimea's inclusion in Southern Federal District goes against law, CoE principles

13:34, 30.07.2016 1 min read

Foreign Minister of Estonia, which is currently presiding in the Council of Europe, Marina Kaljurand, expressed concern over the Kremlin's decision to include Crimea into the Southern Federal District.

"Concerned about Russia's step to merge illegally annexed Crimea into its Southern Federal District - against intl law and @CoE principles," she wrote on Twitter.

As reported, Russian President Vladimir Putin abolished the Crimean Federal District and included Crimea and Sevastopol in the Southern Federal District on July 28. According to the presidential order, the Southern Federal District currently comprises of Adygeya, Kalmykia, Crimea, the Krasnodar territory, the Astrakhan region, the Volgograd region, the Rostov region and Sevastopol.

The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry sent a note to Russia protesting against the decision.