EU Commissioner on Commemoration of Deportation of Crimean Tatars

EU Commissioner Mr S.Fule сonvinced that сommemoration of 70 years of deportation of Crimean Tatar people in 2014 will be an opportunity not only to look back, but also to look forward and take steps for integration of Crimean Tatars in a stronger in, Mejlis informs.

“During my tenure as European Union Commissioner, I have paid special attention to the economic and political situation in Crimea. During my yearly visits to Crimea I have used every occasion to meet with representatives of the Crimean Tatars. I have also worked to build constructive partnerships with all stakeholders, including the Ukrainian authorities, Civil society and international partners such as the OSCE High Commissioner for National Minorities, the Council of Europe and the UN family organisations such as UNDP and UNCHR,”- Mr Fule said.

“Crimea is a region of pivotal importance for the European Union's engagement in its Eastern Neighbourhood. At the same time, we see that Crimea's great economic potential is still largely unrealized,”- the EU Commissioner underscored.

During the meeting the EU Commissioner also underscored that the European Union was born from the willingness to overcome the grievances of the past and can actively contribute to finding ways to address such matters as the consequences of mass deportation. “Since the nineteen eighties, 266,000 Crimean Tatars and thousands of other Formerly Deported Peoples have returned to their historic homeland, reaffirming their will to reverse an historical injustice that we all condemn in the most unequivocal terms,”- Mr Fule said. At this, addressing the Ukrainian and republican authorities he noted that during the past twenty years, the Ukrainian Authorities, including the Council of Ministers of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, have shown political willingness to address and solve the legal and economic challenges that derive from this process. “I want to explicitly commend this commitment by Ukraine, and encourage further steps to address remaining issues,”- the EU Commissioner noted.