Chairman of Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar People Mustafa Jemilev Met the Officials of OSCE High Commissioner for National Minorities

01 August 2011

On August 1, 2011 the Chairman of Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar People Mustafa Jemilev met at his office the senior adviser of the OSCE High Commissioner for National Minorities (HCNM) Alexander Vinnikov and HCNM’s legal adviser Vincent de Graaf.

The meeting was also attended by the President of the World Congress of Crimean Tatars Refat Chubarov, head of the department of international affairs Ali Khamzin and head of Secretariat of Mejlis Zair Smedlyaev.

The main topic of the meeting was preparation to the international forum on the restoration of the rights of the Crimean Tatar people to their homeland, its security and guarantees of development in Ukraine.

As is known, the initiative on carrying out of the International forum was fist declared in the resolution of the all-Crimean mourning meeting commemorating the victims of the genocide of the Crimean Tatar people, held in Simferopol on May 18, 2010. Later, on August 29, 2010 the 3rd session of Qurultay of the Crimean Tatar people of the 5th convocation adopted the corresponding decision.

“Almost every international visit of Mejlis’ leaders, meetings with the leading politicians of Germany, Canada, Poland, USA, Turkey, heads of many diplomatic representatives accredited in Ukraine showed that they support the idea of carrying out of the International forum. We continue the active process of discussion of this initiative, hoping to receive support of the idea from the International forum from the Ukrainian authorities,” – the Chairman of Mejlis Mustafa Jemilev said.

According to the First Deputy Chairman of Mejlis Refat Chubarov the waiting attitude of the Ukrainian authorities concerning the International forum limits the organizational processes, in particular, the date and place as well as the agenda of the forum. “In this connection we ask for support of the international institutions, first of all the OSCE High Commissioner for National Minorities whose mandate will let us directly address the solution of the Crimean Tatar problem and to build “roadmap” of restoration of justice towards the people that returns to its Homeland along with Ukraine and Crimean Tatar people,” – the President of the World Congress of Crimean Tatars Refat Chubarov said.

According to the senior adviser of OSCE High Commissioner for National Minorities Alexander Vinnikov the office of HCNM keeps the track of all processes that take place in Crimea. “We will inform the OSCE High Commissioner for National Minorities Mr Knut Vollenbek in details about the outcome of our meeting. Your arguments concerning the necessity of carrying out of the International forum is very interesting for us, especially the motives, substantiating the necessity of participation of the international community along with Ukraine in solution of the Crimean Tatar problem,” – the representatives of OSCE HCNM concluded.

Among the other issues touched by the officials of the OSCE High Commissioner for National Minorities were the latest resonant events in Crimea, in particular, the conflict related to the attempt of installing the cross next to Feodosia. Ali Khamzin and Zair Smedlyaev informed in details about the true reasons of a range of resonant events in Crimea with participation of Cossack organizations. According to the representatives of Mejlis the essence of the criminal actions committed by the Cossack organizations is the attempt to discredit Ukraine and destabilize the social – political situation in Crimea.

During the meeting the parties also discussed the questions related to solution of land issues and allocation of land plots for construction of individual houses.