27 Dec 2018 17:35

'Currently no preconditions' for unification of Primorye, Sakhalin - Kozhemyako

MOSCOW. Dec 27 (Interfax) - The issue of the unification of Primorye and Sakhalin would have to be raised by residents of these regions, but the situation is not right for that to happen, Primorye Governor Oleg Kozhemyako said.

"This is about, above all else, the expression of the will of the residents of the two regions. First, a group of activists [is formed], then it appeals to the electoral commission, then there is a procedure associated directly with the referendum, at least 51% have to vote. And then the president signs a decree. It's a complex process, and there are currently no preconditions for that," Kozhemyako said on Thursday, responding to journalists' request to comment on the statement he made earlier on the matter.

Kozhemyako, the new governor of the Sakhalin region, said earlier in December that the issue of the unification of the Primorye Territory and the Sakhalin region should be put to a referendum.