The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry has sent its Italian counterparts a diplomatic note after a map of Russia, showing Crimea as a part of its territory, was put on display at an exhibition in Milan.
‘The Ukrainian Embassy in Italy has sent a note of protest to the Italian Foreign Ministry regarding the two maps of Russian regions, which included Crimea, displayed at the Russian pavilion at Expo 2015,’ a source in the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry told Interfax on Thursday.
Italy’s attention was drawn to the fact that ‘such provocations’ on Russia’s part not only pose a threat to Ukraine’s territorial integrity, but they also undermine Italy’s international reputation as the organizer of the exhibition, the source said.
In addition, Ukrainian diplomats pointed out that such an incident violates the Convention on International Exhibitions (Paris, 1928, with amendments of 1988), in particular Articles 10, 12, 13 and 18, which compel the hosting nation’s government to control the content of the participating nations’ pavilions and proper use of geographic designations. ‘The incident will also be reported to the BIE (Bureau of International Expositions) headquarters in Paris,’ the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said.
