Last week Russian President Vladimir Putin paid a visit to Crimea, which joined the Russian Federation this year. In the autonomous republic the president hosted a meeting attended by lawmakers, members of the cabinet and Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev.
According to the head of Strategic Planning and Prognosis Centre, Alexander Gusev, the president's visit to the region showed that the Crimea issue is settled.
"Of course this meeting was intended to demonstrate to foreign powers and Russian society that Crimea is indeed a part of Russia," Gusev said.
He also said that the international community has already made its peace with the fact that Crimea has joined the Russian Federation.
"The recent statement by Maria Scharf, a representative of the US Department of State, in which she said that Vladimir Putin is the only tourist in Crimea, was quite remarkable. It showed that the issue is settled," he said.
