New Year’s Television Congratulation of the Leader of Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar People Mustafa Jemilev

Dear nationals!

According to the tradition on New Year’s Eve I would like to say few words about our successes and losses, right and wrong acts in 2011, about our expectations and prospects for the coming year.

Frankly speaking, the past year started with not very good events for our people. In the very beginning of the year the Head of the Crimean Government Vasily Dzharty demanded categorically to vacate all the land plots, occupied by Crimean Tatars and threatened to use force if it won’t happen. Suchstatementlookedlikedeclarationofwar.

In order not to let confrontation and bloodshed in our land we had to take the corresponding measures. Our strategy was to drew the international attention to the situation and warn about the possible consequences of violence against our nationals.

In such explosive situation we drew attention of the representatives of the international organizations and diplomats, accredited in Ukraine, inviting them to Crimea. We are grateful to the ambassadors of a range of countries, the Mission of the European Union in Ukraine and other diplomats who visited Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar people with the working visits and who made the corresponding statements.

As a result we managed to ease the tension, to start talks with the Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Autonomy in order to find peaceful solution of the land problem. The special commission was created and the work stated. Of course, there are still many problems in this field, but there is hope that we will find the way out.

We were finally allotted land for construction of the Central Mosque in Simferopol in the past year. The competition for the best design and God willing in the nearest future we will build the great Central Mosque in our Aqmescit with the help of the whole people and our friends.

Last year the state reduced financing of the resettlement of our people on its Homeland to the minimum. Only 23 millions HUA were allotted from the state budget instead 127 millions planned. Next year in accordance with the project developed 142 millions HUA had to be allotted, but the budget adopted provides only 25 millions HUA. This money won’t be enough to build even a half of a school.

In this situation we had to apply for help again to the brotherly Turkey. In the beginning of the year during the meeting with the President of Turkey the agreement was reached about the financing by Turkey of few schools with education on Crimean Tatar language, construction or buying of houses, construction of the national cultural center. And if Ukraine won’t cause any obstacles then hundreds of our nationals will become the owners of their own houses, and hundreds of our children will have the possibility to study in their native language. And organizations and structures, working for the sake of preserving and development of the national culture will gather under the roof of the Cultural center.

The law on the restoration of the rights of Crimean Tatars and the representatives of other deported persons the adoption of which we have been seeking for already few years wasn’t adopted this year as well, because the coalition that represents the majority in the Parliament didn’t receive the President’s order to vote for this law.

The number of few representatives of Crimean Tatars in the executive authorities of the Autonomy last year reduced even more. Some nationals who hold the leading posts in various bodies were dismissed. The reason of this wasn’t the lack of professionalism, but just this posts were needed to people that were sent here from Donetsk region.

At that time in order to minimize our possibilities to stand for our rights the measures were taken, aimed at splitting our people, both in political and religious fields. At the beginning of the year in opposition of the Spiritual Board of Muslims of Crimea the authorities registered a kind of “religious center”, created on the base of few religious groups, whose head calls himself “chief Mufti of Crimea”.

Last year there were events that never took place among our nationals before. The group of people openly spoke against Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar people. They published their poisonous, laying articles about Mejlis in Russian Mass Media. On 21 November there was a symbolist burning of Mejlis’ leader next to the building of Crimean Tatar theatre.

Maybe it is true and Mejlis and its leaderships have completely lost their authority among the people and those who made this performance next to the theatre should guide the people? Of course, the people itself should decide on this question. Though, the sociological survey shows completely opposite picture.

For example, according to the survey of the most authoritative research center named after Rozumkov, held in the middle of the last year – 82% Crimean Tatars are satisfied with Mejlis’ work, 11% think that this activity is not enough and only 7% are completely unsatisfied with Mejlis’ work. There is no such political force in Ukraine that enjoys such high trust of their nationals. Moreover there are very few such political structures in the whole world.

I’d like to give other figures of the same research center: only 5% of Crimean Tatars are satisfied with the work of the Parliament of the autonomy, other 95% do not trust in it at all. Only 11% of Ukrainian citizens trust in Ukrainian Parliament. Thus, one could state with satisfaction about quite high level of trust of our nationals in their representative body. That is why it is quite evident that the mentioned above hostile actions against Mejlis by no means reflect people’s will, but are vicious games against our people, played by certain structures.

According to the dependable sources the attempts to weaken the positions of Mejlis will be resumed in the next year even more. We have to be ready to this.

The passed year took lives of many our good nationals. In 2011 we have lost our talented painter Ramiz Netovkin, veteran of the National movement Ilmi Ametov, Ferat Useinov, Dzhemile Shabanova and many others who made their contribution to the return of our people to Crimea and restoration of its rights, and also our courageous Professor, member of Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar people, elected in 1991 Refik Muzafarov.

Our diaspora has also suffered irreplaceable losses. The author of more than 20 novels about the tragic destiny of Crimean Tatars Cengiz Dagci died in England, the leader of our diaspora and the state figure Ahmed Ihsan Qirimli died in Turkey. The destiny gave them long life. Both of them lived more than 90 years. But, whatever long their life was, they have left an irreplaceable emptiness after them, because they were really great people.

Elena Bonner and Vaclav Havel have also passed away. They provided assistance to our people in the fight for our rights for many years. All in all around 2500 our nationals died in Crimea for the passed year and around 4500 were born. May Allah rest their souls in peace and give health and long happy life to the newborn.

Our people will have many significant events in the coming 2012.

First, about 250 delegates will be elected to the new 6^th Qurultay of the Crimean Tatar people, then its first session to elect the new composition and new Chairman of Mejlis. It is very important event. As much fair and just the elections will be, as much the elected people would be the true representatives of the people and as much united the people will be and as much successful the work of this representative body will be.

Second, in October of the next year there will be elections to the Parliament of Ukraine. Its results are very important both for the state in the whole and for our people. If we could ensure the active participation of our nationals in the elections, we can achieve that every vote will be given to the candidates, recommended by Qurultay. We could show the political might and unity of our people. It will significantly ease the solution of the national question of Crimean Tatars.

Third, if we could conclude all the talks on every level we plan to carry out 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. Three months ago we discussed this problem with the representatives of the international organizations, accredited in Ukraine in Kyiv. All the diplomats supported the initiative of carrying out of the Forum and assured us in their assistance. We see and understand that Ukraine has no sufficient possibilities to solve this problem.

We have to solve many problems in the future in order to provide adequate life to our nationals in their Homeland. However, implementation of all goals and intentions depends on our joint efforts, interrelations inside our people.

May Allah help us to go the right way.

On behalf of Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar people I would like to congratulate all our nationals with the New Year!

May Allah help us in all our deeds!