Canada condemns Russia’s opening of Crimean bridge
Canada condemns Russia’s opening the Kerch Strait Bridge as violation of Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, Canadian Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland said in a statement on Wednesday, according to TASS.
"Canada condemns the construction and partial opening today (on May 16) of the Kerch Strait Bridge," she said. "The bridge, which links Russia to illegally-annexed Crimea, represents yet another violation of Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity by the Russian Federation. It aims to harden Russia’s unlawful hold on the peninsula and to forcibly isolate it from the rest of Ukraine."
She added that her country continued to support Ukraine in what concerned its sovereignty. "We call on the Russian Federation to cease its violations of this fundamental tenet of the rules-based international order," she said.
Russian President Vladimir Putin took part in the opening ceremony of the Crimean Bridge motorway section Tuesday, driving the lead vehicle of the construction equipment convoy. The construction of the bridge connecting Crimea to the Russian mainland kicked off in February 2016. The construction of its railway section continues, its opening is scheduled for 2019. The Crimean Bridge originates on the Taman Peninsula, runs through a five-kilometer dike area and the Island of Tuzla, then crosses the Kerch Strait and reaches the Crimean coast.