SIMFEROPOL (Sputnik) — At a press conference Wednesday, German Foreign Ministry spokesman Martin Schaefer reminded the Germans that the ministry's website contains a warning to avoid visiting Crimea due to the "obvious situation in the international law."
"This is just a human rights violation and a violation of all international rights. I am familiar with the German legislature, which guarantees to its nationals the possibility to visit any country. Nobody has the right to restrict their actions," Gempel said.
According to Gempel, such warnings, as well as threats from Kiev to impose personal sanctions, will not prevent people who are seeking to understand the situation on the peninsula from visiting Crimea.
"That is why, we are currently waiting for a visit of the next German delegation to Crimea, which is expected to arrive after April 20. We know, who is going to come and preparing the program," Gempel added.
The Crimean peninsula seceded from Ukraine and reunified with Russia after more than 96 percent of local voters supported the move in a referendum in March 2014. Kiev, as well as the European Union, the United States and their allies, did not recognize the move and maintain the peninsula is an occupied territory.
Nevertheless, over 60 delegations from dozens of countries visited Crimea in 2016, defying Western restrictions, including those from France, Italy, Jordan and many other nations. This trend has continued into 2017, which has seen two large European delegations visit Crimea in March, as part of public diplomacy efforts to restore political and economic cooperation with Russia.
