Dear delegates of the 4th Kurultay, dear guests! In this year ten years have passed since the restoration of the Kurultay. Ten years ago, 26 June 1991, first session of the restored 2nd Kurultay of the Crimean Tatar people was opened with the presence of many guests from ten’s of states in this same building. Obviously, the sessions of the Kurultay are the most important event in the political life of the Crimean Tatar people, because, at these sessions are gathered the publicly elected, and therefore most respected of our compatriots. The delegates elect the political leaders of our people and the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar people. They define the main directions of activity of this body, and adopt decisions on most important questions. The Kurultay is a body, which unites our people, our National Movement, and is our arbiter in all our political disputes. It adopts decisions on behalf of the entire people. One can be sure that if there were no Kurultay it would be unlikely that we could succeed in avoiding splits in our National Movement on different factions, organizations and political structures, which would expend a significant part of their energy on rivalry and discredit each other instead of focusing their efforts on promulgating our compatriots’ rights. At the same, it would promote a split of our people. Certainly, a lot can be said correctly about the big defects in the work of the Kurultay and the Mejlis it elected. Actually, we failed to do a lot of that we should have done. However, we can be sure that if we didn’t restore the Kurultay, the position of our people now would be worse. So, we will make efforts for further strengthening the Kurultay and its role in the life of our people. I think that 26 June 1991 “the Day of restoration of the Kurultay of the Crimean Tatar people” will become one of the most memorable days in our history. As is well known, this year, the elections of delegates to the Kurultay were held under some changed procedures. This time, a part of the delegates were first elected under a proportional system. This decision was very right, because it promoted an increase in the competition level for elections. One can state with satisfaction that there were not any regrettable instances, any sharp exchanges of accusations during the elections of delegates, except some vexatious cases, as so called “war of discredits”. Each organization or election coalition of organizations, which took part in the elections, basically propagandized their own achievements, and at the same time, were not minimizing the role of others. We will take measures for further improvement of the system of elections of delegates and I hope that we will be able to change from the twolevel system to direct elections of delegates in the future. We most of all are interested that our elections would be more open, honest, and democratic, because the more democratic elections will be the more respect the Crimean Tatar people will have toward the Kurultay, its delegates and Mejlis. As is well known, at the first session of the new composition of the Kurultay, our agenda does not provide for a report by the Chairman of Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar people on the work done during the previous period. It is quite logical, because, it was impossible to guarantee the election of the former composition of the Mejlis and its chairman among the new delegates of the Kurultay. However, printed hand-outs providing a short chronicle of the activity of the Mejlis during the last 10 months were provided, that is from the last session of the Kurultay on January 5, 2001. In addition we thought it would be expedient to issue a separate collection of reports by the chairman of the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar people for last 10 years. We think that it helps, in particular, the newly elected delegates, who constitute about 75% of all delegates, to better understand the current status of solutions to problems of the Crimean Tatar people, because these reports cover not only the work accomplished by the Mejlis for this or that period, but also the political situation and the position of our people. But, since I was elected a delegate in the new composition of the Kurultay, I will take the opportunity to say a few words to inform about the activity of the Mejlis during the last 10 months It is clear that, as in the past, the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar people had to be engaged in a very broad spectrum of problems facing our people. But we focused our basic attention for the last months on issues of fair land allotment for our compatriots in the process of privatization, including representation of our people in structures of executive and representative power of the ARC. These questions were the main topic during over 15 different meetings and negotiations with leaders of the ARC and appropriate departments, including three meetings with the President of Ukraine, L. Kuchma. Unfortunately, up to now there is not any acceptable solution of these questions for our people. The substance of the land problem, as is well known, lies in the adoption of legal acts to regulate the privatization of land allotments, which did not take into account the peculiar properties of the Crimean peninsula. These norms provided for allotments to members of collective farms, but the returning Crimean Tatar people obviously were not able to become members of collective farms. As a result, according to official information, of the inhabitants living in rural areas of Crimea, Russianspeaking people have 47% of the land shares and Crimean Tatars have only 11%, that is a difference of 4,5 times. Equity can be easily restored in this question, if they made appropriate amendments, in line with our appeals, to the Decree of the President of Ukraine dated 8 August 1995, which would provide for giving land certifications to Crimean Tatars living in rural areas, regardless of whether or not they are members or nonmembers of collective farms. However, this was not made primarily because of the destructive position of the authorities of the ARC, who gave knowingly false information to Kyiv, that in Crimea there are enough lands for solution of all problems, and that this means there is not any necessity to make amendments in the legal acts. At one of the last joint meetings of the Mejlis with the Council of Ministers of the ARC, the chairman of the Republican Land Committee, Mr. Zhagornikov, said, that demands of the Mejlis about the necessity for full land re-sharing in Crimea and for allotment of an average land share to all Crimean Tatars coming of 18 years age and who live in rural areas are excessive and unrealizable. At the same time, he stated that there are enough lands to apportion equitably to Crimean Tatars living in rural area as much as was allotted for Russian speaking citizens. In response to this, the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar people changed our position on the land issue at one of its following meetings. Our stated position comes to the following. We don’t insist on land redistribution, if really there are enough lands to allot lands for Crimean Tatars in each region of Crimea proportionally to their percentage as much as was allotted to Russianspeakers, however the quality of the lands must be of equal value. At the same time, it is necessary to reserve lands, at least for those Crimean Tatars, who have already restored their Ukrainian citizenship, but because of objective reasons are not able yet to return to the Motherland. The Mejlis as the representative body of the nation has no right to abandon these demands. So, the task of the next composition of the Mejlis and all bodies of national self-government is to establish a political platform at least as favorable on the land problem. The second most important question, on which the Mejlis most of all focused its attention during the past period, is the problem of adequate representation of Crimean Tatars in representative and executive structures of power of the ARC. As is well known, the law on elections to the Verkhovna Rada of Crimea is not adopted yet and so we are not able to adopt now any specific plan of actions on elections and to propose here anyone as candidates. Nevertheless, we can discuss and adopt some common outlines for our possible actions. On 17 September 2001, the President of Ukraine, L. Kuchma, at a meeting with the Mejlis in Yalta, and latter on October 24, 2001, in Feodosia at a meeting with the leadership of the ARC expressed unambiguously his opposition to elections in Crimea under proportional or mixed systems and he said that he will agree only to a majority system. At the same time, he stressed the necessity for obligatory provision for representation of Crimean Tatars either by way of a quota, as it was in the elections in 1994, or by way of creation of national constituencies proportional to their number. The leader of the Communist Party chairman of Verkhovna Rada of the ARC, L. Hrach, opposed openly the decision of the President of Ukraine, At the same time he made provocative statements that there is not any benefit from Crimean Tatar deputies in any case, and provision for representation of Crimean Tatars by the means mentioned by the President would cause interethnic tension and almost civil war. For him it is more convenient that there are no representatives of the Crimean Tatar in parliament of the ARC, but only tame “aksakali” selected by him, whom he can call upon if necessary at sessions of the Verkhovna Rada of the ARC to dispute against the Mejlis. Let’s hope that the President of Ukraine finds means to control the influence of shortsighted politicians and by using his veto doesn’t allow elections to be held in Crimea in accordance with such law, which knowingly will not provide for adequate representation of Crimean Tatars in Crimean parliament. Nevertheless, I think that the Kurultay needs to develop a strategy of actions in case a situation is repeated as prevailed in the elections in 1998. The Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar people proposes the future agenda. Crimean Tatars will not boycott elections in any case, and will take an active part in them, without regard to the use of an unfair election law with respect to the Crimean Tatars. Candidates for people’s deputies are to be recommended at a special session of the Kurultay, which will be convoked presumably in January of next year. If it will be that the number of elected deputies to the Verkhovna Rada of the ARC resulting from the March elections do not correspond to a proportional number at least of those Crimean Tatars who have already returned, then the elected deputies will leave parliament and begin national actions to demand that the parliament be dissolved and that the autonomy of Crimea be abolished, since it doesn’t recognize the legal rights of the indigenous people of Crimea, and that the President of Ukraine assume direct control over Crimea. We will base this argument on the fact that no parliament can be legitimate in Crimea, if it does not have appropriate representation of its indigenous people. Even L. Hrach began to understand this. In this connection, recently he stated that it is necessary for his Communist Party to proposes some Crimean Tatars as candidates and necessarily secure their election. Most likely, this is possible, but the Soviet doubledealings of Mr. Hrach are not acceptable for us. This person didn’t understand and does not want to understand that we strive for representation not simply by ethnic Crimean Tatars, but for election of real representatives of the Crimean Tatar people, who, undoubtedly are to be elected by the people themselves and not by Communists or anybody else. At the same time, it is optional for us that the representative would be Crimean Tatar. We even in the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar people elect people regardless of their nationality. There are practically no communists among Crimean Tatars, and if there are, one could count them on one’s fingers. They are Hrach deputies, purebred Crimean Tatars as they may be, who clearly are not be considered as representatives of our people. They will be considered as representatives of that party, which hampers the restoration of the legal rights of our people. Concerning elections to the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, our position is that the Crimean Tatars are to have not less 23 deputies in the parliament of Ukraine, in accordance with their proportion in the state. Because of the dispersed nature of Crimean Tatar settlements, the election of their representatives in majority constituency is very unlikely, and we can hope only for their election by parties’ lists. For this we are to take part in elections in alliance with such party or electoral coalition, which include not less than 2 representatives of Crimean Tatars among the assured candidates for deputies. Besides, we can be in alliance only with such political party, which in their programs makes provision for restoration of the rights of the Crimean Tatar people. You learned from the news media, that on 31 July 2001, the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar people already signed such an agreement with our traditional and tried ally National RUKH (Movement) of Ukraine. However, this agreement will come into force only after the Kurultay of the Crimean Tatar people approves it. We propose to delegates of the Kurultay to approve this agreement. Most likely that National RUKH (Movement) of Ukraine enters in electoral alliance “Our Ukraine” under the direction of expremier, who is now one of the most popular politicians of Ukraine, Victor Yuschenko. Two weeks ago we had a meeting with V.Yuschenko and he confirmed that the number of candidates of Crimean Tatars in assured part of the electoral alliance list is to be not less two. If we approve the signed agreement with National RUKH of Ukraine, it will be necessary at this session of the Kurultay to determine which persons we propose to include in the list of candidates of National RUKH of Ukraine or alliance “Our Ukraine” if National RUKH remains in this alliance. It is very important that our compatriots would become highly highest active, and vote at all levels for the single candidates, who are approved by the Kurultay, Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar people and regional mejlises. To accomplish this it is necessary that all organizations of local self-government devote extensive explanatory work practically in all settlements in which our compatriots live. And this work is to be started at once at the conclusion of this session of the Kurultay. The agenda of this session, which we adopted, provides for making some amendments in the by-laws of the Kurultay, which are directed toward improvement of the processes of the whole system of national selfgovernment, including adoption of a number of documents on some of the most important problems for our people. At this session of the Kurultay we will also elect a new composition of the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar people and a new chairman. Depending on who will be elected to the Mejlis and its chairman, probably, there will be some changes made in activity of the Mejlis. But in any case, I think that the Mejlis will adhere the basic principals and priorities, which were developed by our National Movement for the last half a century, during sessions of Kurultay and previous compositions of the Mejlis. These principles, in my opinion, are the following: We are step-by-step to strive for restoration of our statehood in the form of national territorial autonomy within Ukraine. The basic element of this autonomy is to be recognition of the Crimean Tatar people as the indigenous people of Crimean peninsula with all the ensuing rights, namely, equal functioning of Crimean Tatar language alongside with the official language in Crimea, the state providing for opportunity to study for Crimean Tatars in native language in educational institutions of all levels, the introduction of Crimean Tatar language as obligatory in educational institutions in other languages in all regions of Crimea. At the same time, the adequate representation of Crimean Tatars in all structures of power in Crimea and Sevastopol, and restoration of the arbitrarily changed toponymy in Crimea. However, to strive for restoration of our autonomy doesn’t mean only making demands in our appeals and passing resolutions in meetings. It is necessary, to work step-by-step and patiently in this direction, including, explanation to people that restoration of the legal rights of the Crimean Tatar people doesn’t mean a restriction of rights of other nationalities and a threat to the stability in the region, and quite the contrary, will promote to establishment of interethnic harmony and prosperity of Crimea. Keeping our own legal right for protection by any means from infringement on our life, freedom and free development of our people in its Motherland, we are to strive for restoration of our own rights only by democratic and nonviolent ways. We, as before, are to strive maximally for dialogue with authorities and take all efforts for solution of our problems by means of talks. However, most likely, while asserting own legal rights, we in the future will have to resort the protest actions and quite possibly that will include more largescale actions than we undertook before. But we always are to remember that these actions are not ends in themselves, but are directed for the restoration of our legal rights, and so they serve the interests of strengthening of a democratic and fair system in Ukraine. These actions always are to be peaceful, not damage the legal interest of ordinary citizens and are immediately to be stopped by decision of the Mejlis, if there appears any threat to their being used by private interests by antistate or destructive forces. The Crimean Tatar National movement by asserting the rights of its people, can become in opposition to the present government of Ukraine, parliament, and can oppose a policy and specific actions of the highest officials of state, if their policy and actions damage the interests of our people, but never in any conditions can it act against the fundamental interests of Ukrainian state or take any actions, which can damage its independence and territorial integrity. We can enter in temporary or longterm alliance with different political parties and movements for the realization of our own political goals. However, we never can be in alliance with those political forces, which make encroachment on independence and territorial integrity of Ukraine their aim, including subjecting of Ukraine or including it in an area of influence of another state and establishment of a totalitarian regime in the state. We are to promote in every possible way the growth of national selfconsciousness of our compatriots, revival of Islam in our Motherland, but to stop definitely religious fanaticism and hostility to other nationalities and religious confessions. We are never to forget that from the very outset of rebirth of our postwar National Movement for return to Motherland and restoration of own autonomy we have received huge assistance from people of different nationalities and religions, who frequently risked by own lives and freedoms. And now we have a lot of frank friends of different nationalities and or who belong to different religious confessions. So, any statements or actions against certain peoples or religious confessions are not only amoral and contrary to principles of Islam, but also cause considerable damage to the interests of our Nationaldemocratic Movement. The Kurultay of the Crimean Tatar people and Mejlis that is elected by it, local mejlises and the whole system of national selfgovernment, which were created by us, is, as is well known, the basic object of accusations from the direction of chauvinistic, proRussian and Communist forces in Crimea, as well as in Ukraine as a whole and outside. It is fully understandable, because our National Movement, even as our enemies recognize, is a basic organized force, opposing communist regime and Russian separatism. Undoubtedly, these forces are able still to create huge hardship for us. They will try in every way to put obstacles in the path of adoption of laws directed toward the restoration of rights of the Crimean Tatar people. They will make all efforts to bar representation of Crimean Tatars in parliament and executive structures of power of Crimea, and if this is permitted to happen then only those, for whom some material wellbeing will agree to serve them and act against their own people. They will try maximally to aggravate the difficult life of our compatriots, in order that those, who are still in places of exile, will see our difficult situation, and not hurry or refuse at all idea to return to the Motherland. By means of different state structures, first of all, lawenforcement bodies militia, Office of Public Prosecutor, SBU (Security Service of Ukraine), courts, tax inspection and other services, where there are a lot of people breathing out venom on Crimean Tatars, they will try on the any occasions and without occasion to make biased “examinations” and “inspections” with the aim to make the activities of businessmen difficult and to aggravate the social position of our compatriots, and to discredit, discharge and subject to repression those Crimean Tatar State employees, who keep contacts with their own people In the Mass Media, which are controlled by chauvinistic and communist forces, obviously, an unbridled propaganda campaign against Crimean Tatar National Movement and first of all the Representative Body of Crimean Tatars Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar people will be continued. However, how long this situation will remain, depends, first of all, on our political and civil activity and coordination of actions of all our compatriots. Confrontation with obscurants is not new for our National Movement. Our National Movement has been successfully fighting for half a century with the most powerful and terrible regime of the XX century. In this connection, the attempts of the remains of this regime, the screams and shouts of all kinds of “Hrachs” in Crimea and their protectors in Kyiv, it is clear, won’t scare us. It won’t confuse us or compel us to turn off the road. This is especially because our position is quite different, than it was during the Soviet regime. First, the basic part of our people already are in the Motherland, and at their own home, as is well known, and having walls helps. Second, we are supported not only by a handful of human rights activists, as it was during the Soviet regime, but also by a great number of democratic organizations and political parties in Ukraine and a lot of international organizations, including UN structures, Parliamentary Assembly, Federal Union of Peoples of Europe, Organization of Unrepresented Peoples in U.N.O. and others, which recognize the Mejlis as the Representative Body of the Crimean Tatar people and cooperate closely with it. There are a lot of respectable and honest persons in the parliament, government and many state structures of Ukraine, who frankly assist our people. Finally, we have the understanding and support for many of our questions on the part of the Head of state President of Ukraine, Leonid Kuchma. Despite the strong veil of hostility and hatred around the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar people, and the false and hostile “information” and “analytical researches” against the Mejlis and Crimean Tatar Movement which are made by various political forces, and which are sent to him by certain state services, he found a way to cooperate with the Representative Body of our people. He established the Council of Representatives of the Crimean Tatar people under the President of Ukraine, in which join and will join only members of the Mejlis, who are elected by the Kurultay. He regularly 23 times in a year comes to Crimea especially to meet with the Mejlis and to get information at first hand, to listen to our problems and give assistance for their equitable solution. For the past more than two centuries from the moment of loss of our statehood there has never yet been such interactions in the relationship between our people and a head of state. In this connection, we have every reason to hope that the process of restoration of our rights will advance much quicker in independent and democratizing society of Ukraine than in previous years. It is important not only that we would preserve our national unity in the struggle for our goals, which are common for every one of our compatriots, but also not to go to extremes. And our actions should be united and civilized. I wish to all delegates of the 4th Kurultay of the Crimean Tatar people much success in their activities for the sake of achievement of our noble aims, friendship and cooperation between themselves, and great personal happiness. Thank you for your attention. |
