THE OPENING CEREMONY OF THE INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE “CRIMEA GLOBAL. UNDERSTANDING UKRAINE THROUGH THE SOUTH” TOOK PLACE ON SATURDAY, OCTOBER 14TH
The opening ceremony of the international conference “Crimea Global. Understanding Ukraine through the south” took place on Saturday, October 14th.
The international conference “Crimea Global. Understanding Ukraine through the south” started with the opening ceremony. The first speaker to deliver the opening address was the Permanent Representative of Ukraine in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea Tamila Tasheva. She expressed her gratitude to attendees from different countries who had traveled a long way to attend the event. Ms. Tasheva emphasized the significance of bringing together diverse segments of Ukrainian society at the conference – today, representatives from both the public sector and NGOs have gathered here, making it possible to implement the project.
“It is important to realize that de-occupation is not only about regaining the territory, it is primarily about returning our people. Our citizens should have the right and opportunity to come back to their homes in Crimea,” stated Tamila Tasheva, the Permanent Representative of Ukraine in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea.
In her address, she also made reference to the Deputy Chairman of the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar People Nariman Dzhelal, who was present at the opening of the first Crimean Platform Summit in 2021, and paid for it with his freedom upon return to the occupied peninsula. Tamila Tasheva envisions the joint actions of those present at the conference as an opportunity to develop mechanisms that will protect against crimes and aggression.
The second speaker to address the participants was Ruslan Stefanchuk, the Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine. He noted that Ukraine is currently facing the largest aggression known to the world since the end of World War II. Mr. Stefanchuk is convinced that many nations worldwide are holding a short-sighted view, believing that the Russian-Ukrainian war is only a regional conflict, when in fact its resolution will determine the future architecture of global security.
“Some countries assume that Ukraine, by engaging in a negotiating process right now, can restore global stability, thereby ending this turbulent period. However, they tend to forget – this unprecedented war is not a regional conflict,” said Ruslan Stefanchuk, the Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine.
The senior official also emphasized the mechanisms that allow the Russian Federation to threaten the entire world – a seat in the UN Security Council, nuclear arsenal, food crisis, energy resource trade, and imperialist ideology.
The third speaker was Tetyana Pechonchyk, Head of the ZMINA Human Rights Center. She firmly believes that in the history of every nation, there comes a pivotal moment that shapes the country’s future trajectory. For Ukraine, that moment was Russia’s illegal occupation of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and part of the eastern territories in 2014.
“We must understand that there will be no global security without Ukraine’s victory. Today all of us, together with the support of the countries of the Global South, must work to build new ties and initiatives to ensure accountability for Russia,” said Tetyana Pechonchyk, Head of the ZMINA Human Rights Center.
She also pointed out that Ukrainian soldiers are giving their lives for the ongoing war between autocracy and democracy.
The fourth speaker to address the participants was Maxim Subkh, the Special Representative of Ukraine for the Middle East and Africa. He revealed that since the onset of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the Ukrainian government has shown an unprecedented intensification of contacts with countries from the Global South. Hundreds of discussions involving President Zelenskyy, Chairman Stefanchuk, and Minister Kuleba with their counterparts from the region, as well as three African tours by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, demonstrate to Russia that the world supports Ukraine.
“Geographically, we may be far from our partners in Global South, but mentally, we are close,” noted Maxim Subkh, Ukraine’s Special Representative for the Middle East and Africa.
The fifth speaker was Ukraine’s First Deputy Prime Minister, Yulia Svyrydenko.
She highlighted the questions of utmost importance in future restoration of Crimea particularly in sectors such as energy, transportation, construction, and IT.
She also emphasized the scale of the global food crisis caused by the war – Somalia is losing 50,000 tons of grain due to Ukraine’s inability to export it. India, in turn, is left without vital sunflower oil, without which the most vulnerable groups of society are doomed to suffer.
“Ukraine is currently the most landmine-affected country in the world, which has implications for global food security. To overcome this challenge, we must cooperate with Global South countries, particularly with Cambodia. Together, we can make Ukrainian land safe,” stated Yulia Svyrydenko, Ukraine’s First Deputy Prime Minister.
The next speakers were the 2021 Nobel Laureate in Literature, Abdulrazak Gurnah, the 2011 Nobel Peace Prize laureate, Tawakkol Karman, and the 2022 Nobel Peace Prize laureate, Oleksandra Matviychuk. Each of them emphasized the importance of holding Russia accountable for its bloody human rights violations, murders and illegal kidnappings. Moreover, they highlighted the similarities between the struggle against Russia by the Ukrainian and Syrian people, illustrating Ukraine’s shared experiences with countries from the Global South.
Mustafa Dzhemilev, the leader of the Crimean Tatar people, delivered the closing remarks at the opening ceremony. He emphasized that the Crimean Tatars have been persecuted, kidnapped, killed and tortured for many years, which is utterly unacceptable.
He noted that with the full-scale invasion, many countries decided to take a neutral position or openly support the enemy. Such countries take advantage of their indifference, continuing to trade with the aggressor in a profitable way.
“The Crimean Tatar people have been fighting for their rights for decades. First, we were subjected to illegal deportation by the USSR in 1944, and now Russia is cynically violating our rights and committing terrible atrocities once again,” said Mustafa Dzhemilev, leader of the Crimean Tatar people.
The conference is attended by representatives from various countries of the world, including India, Indonesia, Qatar, Malaysia, Nicaragua, Uruguay, Kenya, the Philippines, Turkey, Austria, Estonia, Argentina, Mexico, Sudan, Colombia, Italy, Chile, representatives of the opposition to the government of Iran and Syrian living outside these countries, as well as other countries.