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Latvian Singer Threatened with 'Crimea Dossier

Rogue Valley

Rogue Valley

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Latvian Singer Targeted for Complying with Sanctions Against Russia, Threatened with 'Crimea Dossier'

LaimaVaikule-I-FotoDaceBluma-125-2.jpg

Latvian singer and performing artist Laima Vaikule

8/13/8
Sunday, August 12 saw an extensive campaign against a Latvian singer in the Russian media. Multiple outlets, including top TV channels reported that Crimea residents were “outraged” by Laima Vaikule’s refusal to include Crimea in her concert tour. Vaikule, a native of Latvia – the Baltic state member of the European Union – was a mega star in the former USSR and she remains very popular both in Russia and in ex-Soviet countries. Speaking at the press conference before her concert in the Ukrainian Black Sea city of Odessa on Saturday, August 11, Vaikule said about visiting Crimea, “No. We, Europeans, are prohibited. I wouldn’t go there no matter what honorarium I was offered.” She then added that she had no nostalgia for USSR. To the contrary – she was happy the USSR has collapsed. Grigory Joffe, the head of the Crimea Public Chamber – a pro-Moscow institution created after Russia annexed the peninsula in 2014 – said Laima Vaikule will be added to the “Crimean dossier” as soon as the Chamber’s monitoring group makes the decision. The so-called “Crimean dossier” is a list of the names of the public figures who do not accept the Russian annexation. Announced first on July 18, the list has about 30 names, including some of Russia’s most prominent cultural figures.

In his response, Joffe never mentions the real reason behind Vaikule’s decision not to include Crimea in her tour – which is her compliance with the EU sanctions. As a citizen of Latvia, an EU member state, Vaikule is prohibited from doing business in Russian-occupied Crimea under the European Commission regulations for business operations in Crimea and the European Council Regulation #692/2014.
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All citizens of EU nations are prohibited by sanctions from visiting or doing business with Russia occupied Crimea. Kudos to Laima.

In order to lawfully visit, one needs the express permission of their Foreign Ministry and the Ukraine State Border Service.
 
Rogue Valley said:
Latvian Singer Targeted for Complying with Sanctions Against Russia, Threatened with 'Crimea Dossier'

LaimaVaikule-I-FotoDaceBluma-125-2.jpg

Latvian singer and performing artist Laima Vaikule



All citizens of EU nations are prohibited by sanctions from visiting or doing business with Russia occupied Crimea. Kudos to Laima.

In order to lawfully visit, one needs the express permission of their Foreign Ministry and the Ukraine State Border Service.
Click to expand...


That is simply not true. The EU has no power to ban nationals of member states from travelling anywhere, and no member state that I know has made it a crime to visit Crimea.
 
Fledermaus said:
Citation?
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:shock:


Hang on ....... you want me to prove that something which hasn't happened hasn't happened?


Shouldn't you be asking Rogue to prove the rather bizarre things he claimed?


I repeat ..... the EU has no power to restrict the free movement of its member states' citizens around the world. The whole idea is an absurd claim. Think about it ........ I enter Russia on a visa via Moscow, and travel around Russia including a visit to Crimea. My possport won't get stamped in Crimea because I'm already in Russia.


Now, Ukraine of course deems it illegal to visit Crimea without its consent. That's a far cry from what Rogue said. Since Rogue claims to be familiar with Crimea he really should have a better grasp on reality than this.
 
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Westphalian said:
:shock:

Hang on ....... you want me to prove that something which hasn't happened hasn't happened?


Shouldn't you be asking Rogue to prove the rather bizarre things he claimed?

I repeat ..... the EU has no power to restrict the free movement of its member states' citizens around the world. The whole idea is an absurd claim. Think about it ........ I enter Russia on a visa via Moscow, and travel around Russia including a visit to Crimea. My possport won't get stamped in Crimea because I'm already in Russia.

Now, Ukraine of course deems it illegal to visit Crimea without its consent. That's a far cry from what Rogue said. Since Rogue claims to be familiar with Crimea he really should have a better grasp on reality than this.
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You made a claim... Anything to back up that claim?

HINT: Does the EU recognize the annexation of Crimea?
 
Fledermaus said:
You made a claim... Anything to back up that claim?

HINT: Does the EU recognize the annexation of Crimea?
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1. The EU is not a state so your question is irrelevant.

2. Its member states do not recognise Crimea as Russian.

3. (2) is totally irrelevant to Rogue's false claim.

4. It's not my responsibility to dis-prove something which is completely false, has never happened.

5. The reason it's so quiet in this thread is that everyone knows Rogue's claim is false but can't be seen to agree with anything I say because I'm the Kremlin troll who spreads fake news and lies ......... ;):roll:
 
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Westphalian said:
1. The EU is not a state so your question is irrelevant.

2. Its member states do not recognise Crimea as Russian.

3. (2) is totally irrelevant to Rogue's false claim.

4. It's not my responsibility to dis-prove something which is completely false, has never happened.

5. The reason it's so quiet in this thread is that everyone knows Rogue's claim is false but can't be seen to agree with anything I say because I'm the Kremlin troll who spreads fake news and lies ......... ;):roll:
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So, no Citation to back your claims.

Got it.
 
Rogue Valley said:
Latvian Singer Targeted for Complying with Sanctions Against Russia, Threatened with 'Crimea Dossier'

LaimaVaikule-I-FotoDaceBluma-125-2.jpg

Latvian singer and performing artist Laima Vaikule



All citizens of EU nations are prohibited by sanctions from visiting or doing business with Russia occupied Crimea. Kudos to Laima.

In order to lawfully visit, one needs the express permission of their Foreign Ministry and the Ukraine State Border Service.
Click to expand...

I can see Ukraine making those rules for people entering their borders, but I don't think the EU has the authority to ban individuals from traveling where they want. I can't find anything that says the EU has that kind of authority, though I didn't look long.
 
Skeptic Bob said:
I can see Ukraine making those rules for people entering their borders, but I don't think the EU has the authority to ban individuals from traveling where they want. I can't find anything that says the EU has that kind of authority, though I didn't look long.
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There is a link within the original link that covers the details... (I will take a look once I get to a computer) It is doing business in Crimea, and as a performer her doing a performance in Crimea is concidered doing business.

Visiting for pleasure may not have the same restrictions.
 
Bravo Fledermaus ...... you're getting there.

I highlighted in bold where Rogue said it was illegal for EU nationals to visit Crimea. It is in fact perfectly legal.

I'm not going to dis-prove a negative. If I claimed that Trump possessed alien DNA from Venus, would it be reasonable for me to ask you to dis-prove my contention?


Are we all clear on this now? It is perfectly legal for citizens of EU states to visit Crimea.
 
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Gentlemen:

Here are the rules:

https://eeas.europa.eu/printpdf/37464_en

As a private citizen the singer is free to travel to Crimea, although she is encouraged to get additional visas from Ukraine via her own country's consulates first to reinforce the notion of Ukraine sovereignty in Crimea. As a business concern she may not be able to do business with firms in Crimea (i.e. perform for money) as the regulations are vague as to what is permissible and what is not in the service sector.

Cheers.
Evilroddy.
 
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Fledermaus said:
There is a link within the original link that covers the details... (I will take a look once I get to a computer) It is doing business in Crimea, and as a performer her doing a performance in Crimea is concidered doing business.

Visiting for pleasure may not have the same restrictions.
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Let's say that visits for pleasure are only possible if the EU citizen in question makes own arrangements and isn't going to be there on a commercial venture.

Going there on a European cruise ship is for instance impossible since those are prohibited from calling at any Crimean port. European airlines same thing. Also package tours arranged by any European tourist company.

None of which changes anything in the fact that Vaikule is of course forbidden by her own government and that her stated enthusiasm in complying with the prohibition is getting her targeted by the thugs we know.

Yet another of the many things that our Putinist propagandist neglects to mention, let alone neglects to address.

I'd agree that the travel restrictions that EU countries impose on their citizens were not described with necessary precision, but when that's the only thing apologetics can latch onto, we'll get deflection culminating in latching on to spelling mistakes and typos next.
 
Evilroddy said:
Gentlemen:

Here are the rules:

https://eeas.europa.eu/printpdf/37464_en

As a private citizen the singer is free to travel to Crimea, although she is encouraged to get additional visas from Ukraine via her own country's consulates first to reinforce the notion of Ukraine sovereignty in Crimea. As a business concern she may not be able to do business with firms in Crimea (i.e. perform for money) as the regulations are vague as to what is permissible and what is not in the service sector.

Cheers.
Evilroddy.
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replace may not be able with is unable and we're there.
 
Chagos said:
I'd agree that the travel restrictions that EU countries impose on their citizens were not described with necessary precision, but when that's the only thing apologetics can latch onto, we'll get deflection culminating in latching on to spelling mistakes and typos next.
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This is it in a nutshell. The apologists latch onto anything, even the least imprecise terminology, and then argue that it negates everything else stated.

Q: Why does Russia have a "Crimea Dossier"? Is the Kremlin going to Novichok those on that list?
 
Chagos said:
Let's say that visits for pleasure are only possible if the EU citizen in question makes own arrangements and isn't going to be there on a commercial venture.


None of which changes anything in the fact that Vaikule is of course forbidden by her own government and that her stated enthusiasm in complying with the prohibition is getting her targeted by the thugs we know.

.
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To be clear, EU citizens are not forbidden from travelling to Crimea for non commercial purposes.

That is an important point some people are doing their best to obfuscate around for whatever sad reason.

Rogue, who masquerades as a Crimea expert, appears to be woefully unwilling to admit his error in the opening post.
 
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don't know whether they're allowed to have offices in the Crimea, but if yes they'd be a good reference for travel

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