Putin approves draft agreement on accepting Crimea and organisation of new federation members

MOSCOW, March 18 (Itar-Tass) - Russia’s President Vladimir Putin has approved a draft of the Russia-Crimea agreement on accepting the republic in the Russian Federation and organisation of new federation members. The presidential order, signed on March 17, is available on the official portal of the legal information on the Internet. The president said it would be reasonable to sign the agreement on the highest level. Earlier on Tuesday, the Russian president informed both houses of the Russian parliament and the government on suggestions from the Republic of Crimea and from the city of Sevastopol on their joining the Russian Federation. On March 16, Crimea had a referendum on the peninsula’s future, where 96.77 percent of the vote supported the republic’s joining Russia. On Monday, Crimea’s Supreme Council announced the republic an independent state and addressed the Russian Federation asking to accept Crimea as a member of the federation with a status of a republic. Sevastopol’s municipal council also adopted a statement on joining Russia as a separate member of the federation - a city of the federal status. On Tuesday, Vladimir Putin will make a statement on the address from the Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol on their joining the Russian Federation. The Kremlin’s press service reports members of the State Duma, the Federation Council, regional leaders and representatives of the civil society are invited to the Kremlin by 15:00 Moscow time. Earlier, Naryshkin explained the order of accepting a new member of the Federation. “A foreign country addresses the Russian Federation asking to join the Russian Federation and entering a respective inter-state agreement. The Russian Federation’s president informs on it the Federation Council, the State Duma, the Russian government, and organises consultations if necessary. As the inter-state agreement is signed, the Russian Federation’s president addresses the country’s Constitution Court asking to analyse compliance of the agreement with the Constitution of the Russian Federation.” If the Constitution Court gives a positive assessment, a draft of the inter-state agreement along with the federal bill on the constitutional law, which offers the name of a new federal member, its status, borders, and transition terms, - are sent to the State Duma, Naryshkin said. “The draft of the inter-state agreement is presented for ratification, and the constitutional bill - for adopting,” he added. “If those two documents in the form of laws on ratification are adopted, a respective addendum is made to the Constitution’s Article 65,” Naryshkin said. That article lists the federation members of the Russian Federation. “In that case, there will be an addendum - the name or names of new members of the Russian Federation.” Naryshkin expressed confidence that the State Duma in discussing the “Crimean question” “will cope with the task promptly and responsibly.” Presently, the Russian Federation unites 83 members. On March 4, Russia’s President Vladimir Putin while answering questions from reporters stressed Russia did not have the intention to initiate accepting Crimea. “Only the people under conditions of freedom of expression and security may and should decide their future,” the president said.