Mejlis Chairman Mustafa Jemilev’s Meeting in Seimas of Lithuanian Republic

24 October 2013

On October 22, 2013, Mustafa Jemilev, Chairman of the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar People and members of the Crimean delegation were received by Mr Petras Austrevicius, Deputy Speaker of the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania.

The official meeting was held in the President Hall of the Seimas.

Mr Emanuelis Zingeris, members of the Foreign Affaires Committee at Seimas, member of the Committee on European Affairs at Seimas (Homeland Union-Lithuanian Christian Democrats Parliamentary Party), Mr Sergei Ursul, members of the Foreign Affaires Committee at Seimas, member of the Committee on European Affairs at Seimas (Labour Parliamentary Party), Mr Arvidas Anusauskas – Committee on National Security and Defense at Seimas (Homeland Union-Lithuanian Christian Democrats Parliamentary Party), Mr Algis Strelciunas – Committee on State Administration and Local Authorities (Homeland Union-Lithuanian Christian Democrats Parliamentary Party) represented the Seimas of the Republic of the Republic of Lithuania.

Mr Ali Hamzin, Head of the Department of Foreign Relations at the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar People, Mr Adas Yakubauskas, representative of the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar People in Lithuania and Mr Rustem Umerov, financial assistant of the MP of Ukraine Mustafa Jemilev represented the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar People.

In the beginning of the meeting Mr Petras Austrevicius, Deputy Speaker of the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania expressed his gratitude to Mustafa Jemilev for acceptance of the invitation to visit the Seimas of the Lithuanian Republic.

On request of the Deputy Speaker of the Lithuanian Seimas, the Mejlis Head Mustafa Jemilev informed the Lithuanian MPs about the modern situation and development of the Crimean Tatars in Ukraine and Crimea.

According to Mustafa Jemilev, the situation with the Crimean Tatar people in Crimea could be described in general as difficult and discriminatory. “A wide spectrum of issues, in particular, the lack of the legal acts aimed at the restoration of the rights of the deported Crimean Tatar people and historical names of places that were changed right after the mass deportation of the Crimean Tatars, ensuring the effective representation of the Crimean Tatars in the state bodies, allocation of land and other problems could testify to this situation,”- the Mejlis Head explained.

The Chairman of the Mejlis made a special note that one of the indicators of the complex situation in solution of the Crimean Tatar problem was also the meeting with the EU Commissioner for Enlargement and European Neighbourhood Policy Mr Stefan Fule that was held in the Council of Ministers of Crimea on September 19, 2013 and was attended by the Crimean authorities, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Mr Leonid Kozhara and leaders of the Mejlis.

The Mejlis Head underscored that the main agenda of the meeting was the discussion of the necessity to hold the International forum on the restoration of the rights of the Crimean Tatar people, as well as the necessity of the legal recognition of the status of the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar People in Ukraine. “As a result, the European Parliament expressed its fears for the destiny of the Crimean Tatars at the urgent special Parliamentary hearings on Human Rights in regards of the Crimean Tatars,”- Mr Jemilev added.

Answering Mr Petras Austrevicius’ question “what is the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar People’s attitude to the ratification of the EU – Ukraine Association Agreement that will take place in the framework of the Eastern Partnership summit on November 28-29, 2013 in Vilnius”, the Mejlis Head stated the position of the representative body of the Crimean Tatars.

“The national movement of the Crimean Tatar people well-known for its adherence to the democratic and non-violent principles, despite the severest repressions against the activists of the national movement during the Soviet period and communist regime always supported the development and democratic reforms in the Soviet Union. In the independent Ukraine the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar People is a single pro-Ukrainian and pro-European force in Crimea and always goes in association with the national – democratic forces of Ukraine. Today in this important historical period for Ukraine the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar People supports the ratification of the EU – Ukraine Association Agreement without any conditions.”- Mustafa Jemilev stated.

Talking to the Lithuanian colleagues the Head of the Mejlis, MP of Ukraine Mustafa Jemilev noted that even if Ukraine has not fulfilled a range of the conditions for ratification of this important document the EU countries could show understanding and give the political chance to Ukraine in the framework of the ratification of the EU – Ukraine Association Agreement.

This position of the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar People expressed by its Chairman Mustafa Jemilev aroused an unhidden sense of gratitude of the members of the Lithuanian Seimas. “We haven’t expected to hear anything else from the leader of the Crimean Tatar people Mustafa Jemilev – world famous Soviet dissident and human rights advocate whose life is the symbol of the fight against the communist regime of the Soviet Union and establishment of the democracy,”- Mr Petras Austrevicius, Deputy Speaker of the Lithuanian Seimas said.

In his turn, Mr Ali Hamzin, Head of the Department of Foreign Relations at the Mejlis addressed the MP s of the Seimas of Lithuanian Republic focusing their attention on the provocative situation existing recently in Crimea. As one of the examples Mr Hamzin told how the chauvinistic opponents of the policy of Ukraine’s integration to Europe organized arsons in Crimean mosques during the sacred Muslim holiday Rurban-Bayram.

According to Ali Hamzin, such open demonstration of their activity showed by the chauvinistic forces that evidently enjoy support of particular figures in Crimean and Ukrainian authorities is the manifestation of their reaction to the ratification of the EU – Ukraine Association Agreement. “They are capable of arranging scaled destabilization in Crimea and possible even after the ratification of this important document for Ukraine,”- the Head of the Department of Foreign Relations at the Mejlis said.

Continuing the discussion of the International forum on the Crimean Tatar problem planned in 2014, Mustafa Jemilev asked the members of the Seimas of the Lithuanian Republic to support this Mejlis’ initiative. According to Mr Jemilev, the official position of the European politicians is that the International forum will also promote the establishment of the general European democratic values in Ukraine.

In conclusion of the meeting Mr Petras Austrevicius noted that the Crimean Tatar people and Baltic people are united by the single tragic history during the communist period of the Soviet Union. “The restoration of justice in regards of the deported Crimean Tatar people for us is not just a formal approach, but the full understanding of the restoration of justice in accordance with this definition,”- the Deputy Speaker of the Lithuanian Seimas convinced.

Mr Emanuelis Zingeris as the Head of the organizing committee on holding the “Parliamentary Forum of Democracy” summit planned on November 27-28, 2013 in Vilnius gave the official invitation to the Chairman of the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar People Mustafa Jemilev to take part in this historical event. It should be noted that the Forum will be attended by the Chairmen of the EU Foreign Affairs Committees. The summit is planned during the ratification of the EU – Ukraine Association Agreement. According to Mr Emanuelis Zingeris, Mustafa Jemilev will be provided the possibility to speak about the Crimean Tatar problem at the summit “Parliamentary Forum of Democracy”.

At the end of the meeting Mustafa Jemilev passed Valery Vozgrin’s book titled “History of Crimean Tatars” and special report “Integration of the Formerly Deported Persons in Crimea, Ukraine” prepared by the office of the OSCE High Commissioner in August 2013 to the library of the Seimas of the Lithuanian Republic. Mustafa Jemilev also presented the ceramic dish with the Crimean Tatar ornament of the famous Crimean Tatar handicraftsman Rustem Skibin.