Russian lawmakers welcome their European colleagues’ visits to Crimea, Leonid Slutsky who heads the State Duma’s CIS Affairs committee, told RIA Novosti on Thursday.
“The doors to Crimea are wide open and the new initiatives which are coming up each day prove correct what I said after our French colleagues visit to Crimea: “The ice is broken! Europe wants to know the truth!” We welcome all kinds of visits [to Crimea]” Slutsky said.
When asked if he had any doubts about the impartiality of the Polish MPs’ opinion about the situation on the peninsula, Slutsky said: “The reality is too unequivocal to be distorted.”
A group of French lawmakers, led by lower-house National Assembly Foreign Affairs Committee member Thierry Mariani, visited Crimea in July.
Shortly after several MPs from Italy, Portugal and other countries said they would also like to come over.
Many euro-skeptics from across the continent, including the French National Front, Britain’s Independence Party, the Greek Syriza coalition and Italy’s Northern League are coming out in support of Russia’s foreign policy.