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Crimea is a peninsula in the southernmost point of Ukraine, and it also
abuts Russia. It's on the Black Sea, one of the most significant
geostrategic points for both Ukraine and Russia.
It had been historically, for 300 years, a part
of Russia, the Russian Empire, was given in 1954 by Kruschev as a
gift to the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic. Crimea
is an autonomous republic within Ukraine.
The head of the local administration was removed
by force a few weeks ago
and the new head of the local administration which is, by the way,
a Russian citizen, which is illegal under the Ukrainian legislation,
is now issuing new decisions.
We have borders. We have a picture of Ukraine.
And now this picture has changed.
I think it's the beginning of the second Crimean War.
Crimea must remain Ukrainian territory.
It's a directing invasion.
More than 100% of inhabitants in Sevastopol voted in the referendum.
Meaning that more people voted than live in the city, according to the census.
Which is also suspicious is the kind of questions that the local administration
put
under referendum. There are actually only two options:
joining Russian Federation and the second question
is to return to the 1992
Ukrainian constitution. Ukraine is currently governed by the constitution
which was adopted in 2004
which would make, even in the second choice, it very difficult to
negotiate
with the central government in Ukraine.
Crimea is the motherland of Crimean Tatars.
And Crimean Tatars are our brothers.
Crimean Tatars have a very strong identity as Ukrainian citizens.
And for them it's like a tragedy.
They still see Russia as the successor of the USSR
who deported them. They never will trust Russia.
We want to ask all international
organizations to help in this very dangerous situation to
provide security conditions to
Crimean Tatars. If this goes sour, if there is increasing repression
relations between Ukraine and Russia, relations between Russia and the West,
for generations will be profoundly impaired.
We need to act--when I say we, the international community--
very seriously as these events unfold over the next few weeks.