Mejlis of Crimean Tatar people rejects any proposals regarding Russian status of Crimea

This was reported by Ukrinform with reference to the official website of the Mejlis.

The highest representative body of the indigenous Crimean Tatar people of Ukraine “warns that any attempts to recognize the temporarily occupied territory of the Crimean Peninsula as Russian — regardless of who makes such attempts and for what purpose — would constitute a gross violation of the UN Charter, the Helsinki Final Act, the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, numerous UN General Assembly resolutions, and other fundamental norms of international law.”

Such attempts would constitute an encroachment on Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, a denial and disregard of the inalienable rights of the Crimean Tatar people — including the right to self-determination and participation in all decision-making processes concerning their native land — and a justification of all crimes committed against the Crimean Tatars during the colonial subjugation of Crimea by the Russian Empire and the genocide committed by the Soviet regime in 1944, the Mejlis emphasized.

Additionally, such recognition would encourage the current policy of ethnocide being carried out against the Crimean Tatar people by Russian occupation authorities.

The statement notes that since the first day of the temporary occupation of Crimea in 2014, Russia has applied systematic pressure on the indigenous population and repressed Crimean residents, carried out Russification and assimilation, destroyed cultural heritage, and conducted mass resettlement of Russian citizens to Crimea in order to change the demographic and ethnic makeup of the peninsula.

The statement stresses that recognizing a “Russian” status for Crimea would create a “precedent for impunity” for the aggressor and would undermine the system of collective security.

The Mejlis asserts that the only legitimate path to ending the Russian-Ukrainian war and achieving guaranteed and just peace in the region is the de-occupation of Crimea and other occupied territories of Ukraine, and the restoration of Ukraine’s territorial integrity within its internationally recognized borders.

Any other options threaten consequences in which human suffering “could reach catastrophic proportions,” the statement reads.

The Mejlis calls on the international community “to demonstrate even greater solidarity with Ukraine and the Ukrainian people in their fight for freedom, independence, and the right to determine their future,” and to increase aid to Ukraine and strengthen sanctions against the aggressor.

The statement references the Crimea Declaration issued by the U.S. Department of State on July 25, 2018, as an example of a clear and principled position grounded in respect for international law and the pursuit of a just peace in the Russian-Ukrainian war.

The declaration states that “in concert with allies, partners, and the international community, the United States rejects Russia’s attempted annexation of Crimea and pledges to maintain this policy until Ukraine’s territorial integrity is restored.”

The Mejlis emphasizes that its position remains unchanged and includes an unwavering commitment to the restoration of Ukraine’s territorial integrity and the right of the Crimean Tatar people to self-determination in the form of a national-territorial autonomy of Crimea within a sovereign Ukrainian state.

The Mejlis categorically rejects any recognition of Crimea as Russian territory — whether de facto or de jure.

“Crimean Tatars are the indigenous people of Crimea and Ukraine, and an inseparable part of the Ukrainian political nation!” the statement declares.

Earlier on Thursday, Head of the Mejlis Refat Chubarov told Ukrinform that the Crimean Tatar people categorically reject any attempts to recognize Crimea as Russian territory.

Chubarov is currently in New York, participating in the 24th UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues.