Ukraine to present plans for Crimea Platform in United States

"Next year should be the year of development and institutionalization of the Crimea Platform," Deputy Head of the Office of the President Andrii Sybiha said during a meeting at the Platform’s office, Ukrinform reports with reference to the press service of the President’s Office.

Sybiha discussed with President’s Permanent Representative to the Autonomous Republic of Crimea Anton Korynevych the first results of the work of the national office of the Crimea Platform, which was established after the inaugural summit of the initiative, and stressed that this platform should become a key site for the de-occupation of Crimea.

The team of the Mission of the President of Ukraine in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea announced it is going to visit the United States to present the activities and plans of the national office of the Crimea Platform.

In addition, deputy permanent representatives Darya Svyrydova and Tamila Tasheva outlined the plans to improve the legislative regulation of a number of topical issues caused by the temporary occupation of Crimea. According to them, important tasks include supporting political prisoners illegally detained by Russian occupying authorities, as well as facilitating access to administrative services for Ukrainian citizens residing in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and Sevastopol.

In this regard, the meeting participants pointed out that the law on the abolition of the free economic zone "Crimea" came into force on November 21, which, as noted in the President’s Office, will remove artificial barriers for citizens of Ukraine residing in the temporarily occupied territory of the peninsula.

Special attention at the meeting was paid to educational projects to support Ukrainian youth in the temporarily occupied Crimea, including the creation of an information and service portal and initiatives to promote Crimean Tatar culture.

As reported, the inaugural summit of the Crimea Platform, a new consultative and coordination format initiated by Ukraine to increase the effectiveness of the international response to the temporary occupation of Crimea, step up international pressure on Russia, and achieve the main goal of de-occupying Crimea and restoring Ukraine's sovereignty over it, took place on August 23.

In the joint declaration adopted following the summit, the Crimea Platform participants reaffirmed their support for Ukraine's territorial integrity, condemned the temporary occupation of Crimea, the militarization of the peninsula, human rights violations and obstruction of freedom of navigation in the region, and called on the Russian Federation to take a constructive part in the Platform.

Photo credit: President’s Office

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