The head of the Crimean regional national and cultural autonomy of the Crimean Tatars, Eyvaz Umerov, called the statement of Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky to the Crimean Tatars empty talk and called on not to lure Crimeans with beautiful words.
Earlier, according to RIA Novosti, the press service of the office of the President of Ukraine reported that Zelensky intends to assign Muslim religious holidays Kurban-Bairam and Uraza-Bayram the status of the state ones and to build the new Grand mosque in Kiev, and to create a hub on the border of Kherson region and Crimea so people who live on the Peninsula, "saw how Ukraine treats the Crimeans and the Crimean Tatars".
"Zelensky should not have this empty talk and lure the Crimeans with beautiful words and virtual promises," Umerov said in an interview for the Agency.
According to him, while the Ukrainian authorities only promise the Crimean Tatars all sorts of benefits, a Cathedral mosque is being completed in the Russian Crimea, which will become the main religious object of the Crimean Muslims, and Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha have been celebrated at the official state level for six years, being declared a day off.
"The Crimean Tatars live very well in the Russian Crimea. No one infringes on us here, our rights are all preserved. The Crimean Tatars with other peoples develop the Peninsula and maintain peace, " Umerov said.
Yesterday, on May 18, it was reported that the President of Ukraine Vladimir Zelensky initiated the creation of a separate group in the structure of the office of the head of state, which will work with the Crimean Tatars.
This was reported by the press service of the Ukrainian President following his meeting with the leaders of "Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar people" organization (banned in Russia) Refat Chubar and Mustafa Dzhemilev.
This group, according to the Ukrainian President, will consider not only legal, but also economic issues. Zelensky also said that in order to intensify Kiev's efforts in this context in the international arena, he agreed on the candidacy of Emine Dzhaparova for the post of first Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine.
The President confirmed the agreement reached with Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan to build 500 apartments for the Crimean Tatar migrants from Crimea in the Kherson region.
Crimea became a Russian region after a referendum held there in March 2014, in which 96.77% of the voters of the Republic of Crimea and 95.6% of the residents of Sevastopol voted for joining Russia.
Ukraine still considers Crimea its own, but temporarily occupied territory. According to Russian President Vladimir Putin, the issue of Crimea is "finally closed".
Against the background of these events, Ukraine began to provide all possible support to the part of the Crimean Tatars that refused to recognize the reunification of Crimea with Russia.
The leaders of the "Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar people", which was recognized as extremist in April 2016, were accepted in Ukraine, and later became deputies of the Verkhovnaya Rada. Ukraine, in an attempt to justify its claims to Crimea in the international arena, began to spread statements about the infringement of the rights of these people on the Peninsula.
Representatives of 175 nationalities live in Crimea. The majority - 65% - are Russians, Ukrainians-15.7%, Crimean Tatars-12%. After the reunification, the Crimean Tatar language, along with Russian and Ukrainian, was recognized as the state language in the region. On April 21, 2014, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree on the rehabilitation of the Crimean Tatar and other peoples affected by repression.
GSV "Russia - Islamic World"
Photo: SERGEY DOLZHENKO / EPA / TASS