Vladimir Konstantinov, the head of Crimea's regional parliament, said on Friday that the United States' decision to allow its commercial aircraft fly over the peninsula amounted to an endorsement of the high level of security in the region
SIMFEROPOL (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 16th October, 2020) Vladimir Konstantinov, the head of Crimea's regional parliament, said on Friday that the United States' decision to allow its commercial aircraft fly over the peninsula amounted to an endorsement of the high level of security in the region.
Earlier on Friday, the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) lifted its no-go order to commercial US aircraft in Crimea's airspace, which it initially issued in 2014 and extended twice since. According to the authority, the prohibition was to avoid risks related to US aircraft being subjected to conflicting air traffic control regulations in the airspace which Washington considers disputed. The updated regulation cites "changed conditions in Ukraine and the associated risks to US civil aviation" as reasons for not extending the flight embargo.
"This is a confirmation that Crimea is a safe region. The allegations of our spiteful critics about how bad things here are and how dangerous it is for people have been rendered unfounded. Crimea today is one of the planet's safest regions, so we invite everyone to visit," Konstantinov told journalists.
According to the Crimean parliament's head, the decision of US authorities, given their conservatism and pragmatism, should be taken as an endorsement of Russian authorities' success in achieving regional security.
"On the other hand, for the people of Crimea it is yet another element of the recognition of Crimea [as part of Russia]. We are not far from the day when this topic disappears from the world agenda," Konstantinov said.
Crimea, a Russian enclave, was transferred to Ukraine in 1954 by the then-Communist Party leader, Nikita Khrushchev. It was not uncommon to transfer land to adjacent Soviet republic under the Soviet rule. In 2014, Crimea residents voted massively, 96 percent, in a referendum held to rejoin Russia.
Ukraine, as well as the majority of Western countries, have so far refused to recognize the legitimacy of the referendum. The Russia has insisted that the referendum was conducted in full compliance with international law and that it was the democratically expressed choice of the Crimean people to become part of Russia again.
