Refat Chubarov: Fruitful and Permanent Contact with Czech Politicians Proves that Czech Republic Takes Its Right Place among EU Democratic Countries

16 May 2013

On May 16, 2013, Mr Refat Chubarov, First Vice Chairman of the Mejlis of Crimean Tatar People and Mr Remzi Ilyasov, Deputy Head of Mejlis met with the Czech Senators – members of the Czech Senate’s Committee for European Affairs.

The Czech delegation consisted of Mr Miroslav Kreich, Chairman of the Czech Senate’s Committee for European Affairs and deputies of the Chairman of the Committee, Mr Zdenek Best, Mr Anatoly Mashtalirzha and Mr Joseph Taborsky. Mr Lubosh Vesely, political advisor of the Czech Ambassador to Ukraine and Mr Ondrei Moravek, General Consul of the Czech Republic joined the Czech delegation.

Mr Ali Hamzin, Head of the Department of Foreign Relations at Mejlis and Mr Zair Smedlyaev, Head of Secretariat of Mejlis also represented the Mejlis of Crimean Tatar People.

Greeting the guests the First Vice Chairman of Mejlis Refat Chubarov noted that it was a great honor for him to have the Czech senators as Mejlis’ guests and that he is very pleased with the fact that the Czech politicians started studying the Crimean Tatar problem closely.

“The fruitful and permanent contact with the Czech politicians proves that the Czech Republic takes its right place among the EU democratic countries. It is also defined by our common history, as the Czech Republic also experienced the influence of the regime of the state where Crimean Tatar people lived,”- Mr Chubarov underscored.

Mr Refat Cubarov also informed that the visit of the Czech politicians on the eve of May 18 – the Day of mourn for Crimean Tatar people is symbolic.

On his part the Head of the Czech Senate’s Committee on European Affairs Mr Miroslav Kreich stated that the Czech delegation supports Crimean Tatar people these days and considers its duty to honor the memory of the victims of such bloody tragedy of the 20^th century.

“Our people know and remember the tragic events of 1944 and we mourn along with the Crimean Tatars on these tragic days. The Czech people know about the bloody methods of the communist regime, but the scale of the tragedy of 1944 is great and its consequences are terrific. Our delegation is going to lay flowers to the monument to the victims of the deportation of Crimean Tatar people in the square next to the train station in Aqmescit,”- Mr Miroslav Kreich said.

According to the Head of the Czech Senate’s Committee on European Affairs, their visit to Crimea and the meeting with Mejlis administration is one of the priority goals of the Czech politicians in order to know the peculiarities of the political and public situation in the peninsular. “It has a special meaning, because Ukraine is on the stage of the active negotiations about the ratification of the Agreement on the association with the European Union. Any information – positive or negative that could influence the success in this process is very significant for us,”- the Head of the Czech Senate’s Committee on European Affairs specified.

During the detailed discussion the parties discussed the sensitive issues relating to the process of the return and current resettlement of the Crimean Tatars, obtaining the Ukrainian citizenship, development of the national education and Mass Media.

“In fact the Soviet Union didn’t recognize the Crimean Tatars as a distinctive people. The “Crimean Tatar” nationality was excluded from the records of the passport services and we were called “Tatars”. Today Ukraine doesn’t say NO to the return of the Crimean Tatars to their homeland, but the state says that you have the right to return, but the year after year it provides less assistance to the returnees and creates more and more barriers in our way”.

According to the First Vice Chairman of Mejlis, following 22 years since Ukraine’s independence no law was adopted to regulate the return and restoration of the collective rights of Crimean Tatar people.

Mr Refat Chubarov also shared his opinion about the present political and economic situation in Crimean and Ukraine, and told about the preparation to the International forum on the restoration of the rights of Crimean Tatar people in their Homeland, ensuring their safety and guaranteeing their development in Ukraine.

 “The scale of the solution of the Crimean Tatar problems is so large that Ukraine couldn’t solve them alone today. That is why the international community wants to help and is ready to develop the legal instruments of the integration of the Crimean Tatars into the Ukrainian society. However, there is still no positive respond from the Ukrainian state to the International forum,”- Mr Chubarov explained.

Commenting on the results of the meeting with Mejlis administration, the Head of the Czech Senate’s Committee on European Affairs Mr Miroslav Kreich noted that the Crimean Tatar problem is the consequence of all negative events that took place in the world recently. “It doesn’t concern only Crimea and Ukraine. Ukraine proceeds to ratification of the Agreement on the association at the summit in Vilnius this autumn. People think that the ratification of the Agreement is the final step, but in fact it is the first step to the long lasting and difficult process. In its framework Ukraine has to harmonize its legislation, including the status of the formerly deported citizens,”- the Czech politician said.

Mr Miroslav Kreich also noted that despite the meetings with the Crimean authorities the situation around Crimean Tatar people and solution of the sensitive problems were not touched upon.

After their visit to the Mejlis of Crimean Tatar People the members of the Czech delegation along with Mejlis administration laid flowers to the monument to the victims of the deportation of Crimean Tatar people.