As Crimea Platform Office, President’s Representation for Crimea to intensify work on deoccupation - envoy
The Office of the President’s Representation for the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and Sevastopol has intensified its work on deoccupation and reintegration of the peninsula, due to the fact that in August this year it took up functions of the Crimea Platform’s National Office.
This was announced at a briefing in Kyiv on Friday by Anton Korynevych, the President’s Representative for the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol.
"Since August 2021, when the president of Ukraine, in fact, instructed us to become the National Office of the Crimea Platform, as reflected in the Crimea Platform Declaration, our Representation has been acting in a dual capacity. On the one hand, we perform all functions that had been entrusted to us earlier and on the other, legally and technically, we’ve become the National Office of the Crimea Platform. In fact, the national office of the Crimea Platform has become a part of our Representation," Korynevych said.
In this regard, he noted, additional services have been set up within the Mission to ensure the operation of the Crimean Platform, the implementation of which is "an internal track of the Presidential Representation in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and Sevastopol within our jurisdiction."
In particular, a service was set up to administer the work within the Crimea Platform initiative.
"As this is our mission’s flagship service, we have worked hard to take on board a high-level specialist who understands how to work on this track. Today we have Maria Tomak, who has undergone all the competition procedures so she will be joining us early January," Korynevych said.
In addition, he said, a new structural unit has already launched its work in the Office. This is the Information Support Department headed by Yevhen Bondarenko. Also in the coming days, Olha Kuryshko will take helm of the Legal Department.
"The new appointments show that our body enjoys trust of the expert community and civil society. We are grateful for this trust and will do everything to make our work on deoccupation and reintegration of Crimea move forward," Korynevych said.
In total, he noted, there are currently 33 employees working in the Office, 21 of whom are based in Kyiv and 12 – in Kherson, "but the headquarters is in Kyiv."
According to Korynevych, since the president in 2019 signed a decree to move the Mission’s headquarters from Kherson to Kyiv, most of its employees have been working in the country’s capital.
The President’s envoy for Crimea sees it as a logical thing because "decisions on Crimea are made in Kyiv."
According to the official, it is in Kyiv that it is necessary to do political and legal work, to influence decision-making as regards the deoccupation of Crimea, and participate in meetings with international partners.
At the same time, Korynevych noted, his colleagues in Kherson are engaged in providing government and administrative services, as well as assistance, to Ukrainian citizens, both those living in the occupied territory of Crimea and those who have moved to mainland Ukraine.
"Nobody has forgotten about Kherson, the doors of our Representation are open every morning," Korynevych said, emphasizing that thanks to the Crimean people who come to the Kherson office, the Office of the President of Ukraine in the ARC and Sevastopol "retains constant strong ties with Crimea."
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