State policy on de-occupation of Crimea discussed at Foreign Ministry

The state policy on the de-occupation of Crimea was discussed at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine on March 3.

“On March 3, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine and the Mission of the President of Ukraine in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea held the panel discussion entitled ‘State policy on de-occupation of Crimea: status and prospects’ within the framework of the Day of Resistance to the Occupation of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol,” the Ministry’s press service informs.

The discussion was attended by Emine Dzheppar, First Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs of Ukraine; Anton Korynevych, Permanent Representative of the President of Ukraine to the Autonomous Republic of Crimea; Ihor Yaremenko, Deputy Minister for Reintegration of the Temporarily Occupied Territories of Ukraine; Rustem Umerov, MP, co-chair of the Crimean Platform inter-factional group; Ihor Ponochovny, head of the Prosecutor's Office of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol; Refat Chubarov, Chairman of the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar People; Maria Tomak, Coordinator of the Media Initiative Group for Human Rights; Alim Aliyev, Deputy Director General of the Ukrainian Institute.

Representatives of foreign diplomatic missions in Ukraine joined the panel discussion.

One of the key topics of discussion was the Crimean Platform and the challenges facing Ukraine and the world due to the Russian aggression and the temporary occupation of a part of Ukraine.

 “Ukraine sets up the Crimean Platform to bring the discussion on the de-occupation of Crimea to the level of international strategic dialogue. This will help consolidate the aspirations and resources of the international community, as well as unite efforts at the intergovernmental, interparliamentary and expert levels,” Dzheppar said.

According to her, the Crimean Platform will focus on five practical areas: policy of non-recognition of Russia's attempted annexation of Crimea, expansion and strengthening of international sanctions against Russia, international security, human rights, the impact of occupation on economy and environment.

The First Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs of Ukraine stressed that cooperation with international partners in these areas would enable Ukraine to move towards the de-occupation of Crimea: “It is important to understand that the liberation of Crimea from Russian occupation is not just a matter of justice. It’s one of the key factors in restoring the stability of the world order and protecting the common values that underpin human development.”

Permanent Representative of the President of Ukraine to the ARC Anton Korynevych stressed that the Decree of the President of Ukraine "On Certain Measures to De-occupy and Reintegrate the Temporarily Occupied Territory of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the City of Sevastopol" signed on February 26, 2021 was a very strong signal to Ukraine’s international partners. Crimea is one of the priorities of Ukraine's domestic policy. By this Decree, the President established the organizing committee of the inaugural summit of the Crimean Platform, instructed to prepare a draft strategy for de-occupation and reintegration of the temporarily occupied territory of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol and a strategy for the development of the Crimean Tatar language.

Chairman of the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar People Refat Chubarov said he supported the idea of the creation of the Crimean Platform.

"The de-occupation of Crimea must be preceded by the adoption of relevant laws of Ukraine, which will provide a clear picture of the future of Crimea as an integral part of Ukraine, guarantee the preservation and development of indigenous Crimean Tatar people," he said.

As reported, the Crimean Platform is a new consultative and coordination format initiated by Ukraine to improve the efficiency of the international response to the occupation of Crimea, respond to growing security challenges, step up international pressure on Russia, prevent further human rights violations, protect victims of the occupying power and to achieve the de-occupation of Crimea and its return to Ukraine.

The Crimean Platform is expected to operate at the level of heads of state and government, foreign ministers, in the dimension of inter-parliamentary cooperation and expert network.

The Crimean Platform is to be launched officially at an inaugural summit in Kyiv in 2021.

On March 1, First Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Emine Dzheppar presented the Crimean Platform at the OSCE.

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