Referendum on Tatarstan sovereignty held in 1992 “legitimate and still valid” - government in exile

17.05.2023 15:01

Ukrinform

Aida Abdrakhmanova, Deputy Prime Minister of the Government of Independent Tatarstan for National and Religious Affairs, noted that the referendum on the sovereignty of Tatarstan, held on March 21, 1992, was legitimate, being at the core of the fight for Tatarstan's independence.

Abdrakhmanova said this in an interview with an Ukrinform correspondent.

"At the referendum on the sovereignty of Tatarstan (March 21, 1992, - ed.), authoritative foreign observers from democratic nations, including American politicians, were present. They noted that everything was legitimate at the referendum. It has been considered absolutely legitimate. Even today, we remind everyone that it is the case! Therefore, we do not need another referendum, which ‘good Russians,’ ‘liberals,’ and ‘democrats’ want to impose on us now,” Abdrakhmanova said.

This is how she explained the legal grounds for the creation of the government of Independent Tatarstan in 2008. Its objective is to facilitate the implementation of the decisions of the 1992 Referendum. Due to the repressive regime established in the Russian Federation, the government is currently operating in exile.

Abdrakhmanova recalled the history of the government and its leadership. In 2008, a chemical scientist and publicist, Wil Mirzayanov, who immigrated to the USA in 1995 and works at Princeton, was elected prime minister (in 2020, he got into an international spotlight over his comments on the Soviet "Novichok" military-grade nerve agent developments).

In February 2022, Mirzayanov announced resignation, putting forward the proposal to appoint another acclaimed figure of the Tatar national movement, Rafis Kashapov, which was approved. Later, Aida Abdrakhmanova was invited to the position of Deputy Prime Minister of the Government of Independent Tatarstan for National and Religious Affairs.

She also negatively assessed the leadership of Tatarstan, which operates in Kazan under Moscow’s control, labeling it "collaborative and absolutely pro-Kremlin."

As Ukrinform reported earlier, on April 17, the authorities of Moldova did not allow the President of the Russian Republic of Tatarstan, Rustam Minnikhanov, into the country. He had planned to take part in the event in the autonomous territorial entity of Gagauzia.