Leader of Mejlis Mustafa Jemilev Insists on Prolongation of Bishkek Agreement for 10 Years

11 April 2013

On April 11, 2013 the Verkhovna Rada of Crimea hosted the meeting of the Committee of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine on Human Rights, national minorities and international relations.

The initiator of this meeting was the Head of the sub-Committee on the ethnic policy, indigenous peoples’ rights and national minorities, Leader of Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar people Mustafa Jemilev.

During his speech Mejlis Leader M.Jemilev drew attention of the participants of the meeting to the fact that the period of prolongation of the “Agreement on restoration of the rights of the deported persons, national minorities and peoples (Bishkek Agreement) ends in May this year. As is known, on October 1992 Ukraine initiated the ratification of this document by CIS countries in Bishkek.

“This is a very advanced document and fulfillment of all 12 articles of Bishkek Agreement would have eased the process of the repatriation of the deportees considerably. Unfortunately, some of the states that signed this agreement, including Russia, didn’t ratified it, others did not fully comply with the provisions of the agreement ratified,”- MP of Ukraine M.Jemilev noted. “In 2003 the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine prolonged this agreement for additional 10 years. Considering that the process of the repatriation is far from its end, but the period of its prolongation ends in May this year, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine has to prolong it urgently for additional 10 years,”- M.Jamilev concluded.