Khodorkovsky: Crimea should stay within Ukraine with broad autonomous status
KYIV. March 10 (Interfax) - Ex-chief of the defunct oil company Yukos Mikhail Khodorkovsky said the Crimea should stay within Ukraine with broad autonomous status.
"The best solution would be the Crimea's continued stay within Ukraine with broad autonomous status, similar to the status of Scotland in Britain, with its residents' unconditional right to use the native language," Khodorkovsky said in an open lecture in Kyiv on Monday.
He said an agreement could be conclude between Ukraine and Russia to set up a joint economic zone in the Crimea. "Under such an agreement Russia could run economic development programs in the region. If my country does want to help its compatriots, it must be given such an opportunity," he said.
"The Crimea has become a problem that will last for decades, but it must be resolved," he said. An international conference on the Crimea could be called that could set up a commission for the Crimea with functions to assist the settlement and to deal with the consequences of the conflict, he said.
