Western reaction to Crimean referendum exhibits double standards - Naryshkin
MOSCOW. March 17 (Interfax) - The Western reaction to the Crimean referendum exhibits double standards, State Duma Speaker Sergei Naryshkin said.
"I am not surprised that Western politicians have cast doubt on the legitimacy of this referendum. I am not surprised either at how easily they have recognized the legitimacy of the Kyiv authorities," Naryshkin told Channel One.
Judging by article 111 of the Ukrainian Constitution, legitimately elected president Viktor Yanukovych was deposed "in an unconstitutional manner", the speaker said. "Actually, there has been a constitutional coup d'etat," Naryshkin added.
"I am not surprised they keep asserting the illegitimacy of the Crimean referendum. There have been plenty of cases of the kind in history. Kosovo is one of the latest illustrative examples. Certainly, Western politicians insist that Kosovo is an extraordinary case with its own peculiarities," the State Duma speaker noted.