I was shocked by Russian Ambassador Boris Marchuk’s aggressive piece ‘Crimea: Lies and Hysteria’, through which he lashed out at those who disagree with his country’s policies on the Ukraine, accusing them of substituting strong arguments with hysteria, lies and double standards

His Excellency’s undiplomatic foray seems to overlook the fact that in the EU, democratic freedoms give everyone the right to express his or her views freely, without fear.

In situations such as that which is unfolding in the Ukraine, dialogue needs to be given time to mature and should be preferred to confrontation.

Unfortunately, brutal aggression is taking place.

I was in Kiev and in Maidan in December and most people participating in the demonstrations wanted a peaceful resolution.

It was government snipers that shot and killed without hesitation.

I also found the reference to the ancient Greeks a bit awkward, when for more than two millennia humanity has been blessed with the “Logic” regaled to it by the Greek philosopher Aristotle who taught how to choose words properly to ensure careful thinking.

President Putin has a legitimate right to express his desire to see Russia achieve an equal status with the West.

But he also likes to emphasise “sovereign democracy” or Russia’s right to define its own democracy.

He mixes his calls for cooperation with expressions of mistrust of the West, often accusing the democracies of double standards and hypocrisy.

This makes it harder to relate to Russia.

In 2005, Mr Putin, a former KGB colonel, described the collapse of the Soviet Union as “the greatest geopolitical catastrophe of the century”, a phrase that fired Russian nostalgia for the recreation of the Soviet Empire but made many neighbouring countries feel very insecure.

The Ukrainian crisis provides more grist to this mistrust.

When the Ukrainian parliament dismissed President Viktor Yanukovych, Russia began to flex its military muscles in Crimea and on Ukraine’s Eastern borders.

A hastily organised referendum in Crimea held without the authority of the Ukrainian government led to the declaration of Crimea’s independence and set the scene for its eventual inclusion in Russia.

To compare what has taken place in Crimea to the referendum for independence that will take place in Scotland is misleading, to say the least.

The circumstances under which each referendum took or will take place are hardly comparable.

To call the Ukrainian Parliament’s dismissal of President Yanukovych following popular unrest ‘an armed coup’ is pure nonsense

The EU model for the integration of ethnic minorities is different to that practised by Russia.

Minorities are not encouraged to break away from nation-states and their rights are upheld to discourage them from doing so.

Article 2 of the Treaty on European Union states it is founded on the values of respect for human dignity, freedom, democracy, equality, the rule of law and respect for human rights, including the rights of people belonging to minorities.

The integration of ethnic minorities in the EU is not an easy task but if all the EU member states with sizeable ethnic minorities in neighbouring states were to follow in Russia’s footsteps, the whole of Europe would be engulfed in war.

Europeans are frightened by the historic precedents evoked by the Ukrainian crisis and are quick to refer to the 1938 Sudeten crisis, which led to Germany’s annexation of Czechoslovakia and the start of World War II.

One hopes that all powers, including Russia, have become wiser and will do their utmost to avoid repeating past mistakes although facts on the ground are hardly reassuring.

To call the Ukrainian Parliament’s dismissal of President Yanukovych following popular unrest “an armed coup” is pure nonsense.

The only armed coup in sight is what the Russians have done in Crimea.

There is little to disagree with Ambassador Marchuk’s reference to nations’ right to self-determination as a hallowed principle of international law, but equally important is the principle of non-intervention in the domestic affairs of states and the respect for the sovereign equality of all states.

The 1994 Budapest Memorandum, in which Ukraine surrendered its nuclear weapons (which would have made it the third largest nuclear power) in return for a Russian commitment to respect its sovereignty, is also an international undertaking that has been completely disregarded by Russia.

I concede some ground to the Ambassador where he refers to the Kosovo situation.

But could anyone expect the EU and US to look on while 1.8 million Kosovars of Albanian origin were being wiped out by Serbian ethnic cleansing?

His Excellency the Ambassador concluded his unfortunate foray by stating that the world would be a better place if western countries started working constructively and cooperatively with Russia on ways to stabilise the situation in Ukraine.

I trust and hope that President Putin is of the same mind and will start by moving out of Crimea.

Stefano Mallia is a Nationalist Party candidate for the European elections.

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