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Members of Committee of Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine on Human Rights and International Relations Visited Crimean Tatar Settlement in Simferopol Region
12 April 2013
On April 11, 2013 in conclusion of the field meeting, held in the Verkhovna Rada of AR Crimea the members of the Committee of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine on Human Rights, national minorities and interethnic relations visited the Crimean Tatar settlement in Simferopol region.
This settlement was founded by Crimean Tatars that returned from the deportation more than 20 years ago. At that time the Soviet authorities purposefully didn’t make any necessary steps to assist Crimean Tatars in their resettlement and allocation of housing, but opposed flatly against the allocation of land to them for individual construction in order to stop the stream of returning Crimean Tatars to Crimea. This evoked indignation of Crimean Tatars who started building houses on their own will and founded Crimean Tatar settlements in Crimea.
This resulted in aggravation of the tension in the peninsular and there were even moments that could lead to the bloody civil conflicts through the Soviet authorities’ fault. One should note that even today the majority of these settlement lack the elementary civilized social and cultural facilities, gas, roads, night lighting and it is already the present Ukrainian authorities that bear responsibility for that.
One of these settlements – Pionerskoe-3 in Simferopol region was visited by the members of the Parliamentary delegation, headed by the Chairman of the Committee of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine on Human Rights, national minorities and interethnic relations Valery Patskan and MP of Ukraine from the Party “Udar” Alexander Mochkov along with the Leader of Mejlis Mustafa Jemilev.
The delegation was accompanied by the First Vice Chairman of Mejlis Refat Chubarov, Deputy Chairman of Mejlis Remzi Ilyasov, Head of the Department of foreign relations Ali Hamzin, Head of the Secretariat of Mejlis Zair Smedlyaev and Head of the Land commission of Mejlis Zevdzhet Qurtumerov.
The meeting of the MPs of Ukraine with the residents of the settlement was held in the center of the settlement.
The delegate of Qurultay of the Crimean Tatar people of the 5th convocation, CEO of the Charitable Organization “Foundation “Krym” Riza Shevkiev who has been living in Pionerskoe since its foundation, told the members of the Parliamentary Committee in details about the history of the foundation, numerous problems and gradual development of the microdistrict, mainly due to the efforts and industry of its residents – Crimean Tatars.
During the meeting with the MPs the residents of the massive gave particular examples, testifying to the heartlessness of the authorities towards their primary needs, first all social and engineering facilities – schools, kindergartens, medical facilities, roads and power supply.
After the discussion that lasted more than 3 hours the members of the Committee of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine on Human Rights, national minorities and interethnic relations could see for themselves a real hard situation with the resettlement of the indigenous people of Crimea.
During the discussion and exchange of opinions the members of the Committee of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine noted that in order to ease the existing permanent tension in Crimea, related to the undefined status of the Crimean Tatar people in Ukraine and lack of the legal basis the central authorities have to take this dangerous situation under their own control, as the local authorities couldn’t solve these difficult and important issues.
The special emphasis was made that unfortunately the latest initiatives of the local authorities only increased the risks of this tension in the peninsular.
