You're reading: Lavrov says Crimean government should agree to receive observers

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said a decision on the issue of sending an international mission to Ukraine should be made by the receiving parties, including the administration of Crimea, not Russia.

“They should not ask us because we are not talking about our territory. They should ask those who are now in charge of order in Ukraine,” Lavrov told a press conference in Madrid on Wednesday.

“Those who are now in the Ukrainian parliament do not control the entire territory because people in Crimea and in some other regions do not want to recognize the legitimacy of those who came to power using anti-constitutional methods. For this reason, they should reach agreements with those who really control the situation. For Crimea, it’s the Supreme Council and the government,” Lavrov said.