MOSCOW, March 21 (Reuters) - Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Friday international sanctions imposed on Russian officials and businessmen over the Crimea crisis were "absolutely unlawful" and would create artificial barriers with the West.
Lavrov made the remarks in a speech to the upper house of parliament in which he urged the chamber to approve a treaty signed by President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday to make Ukraine's Crimea region part of Russia.
(Writing by Steve Gutterman, Editing by Timothy Heritage)
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