German Lawmakers Not Afraid of Kiev's Sanctions for Crimea Visit

SIMFEROPOL (Sputnik) — German lawmakers and businesspersons who arrived Saturday in Crimea for a week-long visit are not afraid of sanctions, which may be imposed by Ukraine for their arrival on the peninsula, Yury Gempel, the chairman of the Crimean German National and Cultural Autonomy, told Sputnik.

"They [the German delegation members] say that they are not afraid of sanctions, which can be imposed by the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry," Gempel said.

The delegation is expected to visit the cities of Yalta and Sevastopol, as well as to meet with the speaker of the Crimean parliament, Vladimir Konstantinov. Previously, a delegation of German parliamentary and business representatives visited the peninsula in late October 2016.

The German guests feel quite comfortable in Crimea, and they have already got rid of "vigilance" in relation to the peninsula and expressed the wish to return here again, Gempel added.

Earlier in March, the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine (NSDCU) banned several Serbian and Czech lawmakers from entering the country for five years over their arrival in Crimea. The delegation consisted of about 20 people, including members of the European Parliament, politicians from EU member states, CIS countries and Latin America, who arrived in Crimea to attend celebrations marking the third anniversary of its reunification with Russia.