Oleksandr Korniienko: «Thanks to international attention, the fifth Crimean Platform summit could be the largest in terms of number of participants.»
First Deputy Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Oleksandr Korniienko took part in a briefing for diplomats on the current situation in occupied Crimea. Representatives of international organisations, Ukrainian officials, leaders of the Crimean Tatar people and the public joined the event.
During the briefing, a number of important issues were raised, ranging from the human rights situation in occupied Crimea to increased pressure and repression against Ukrainian citizens for demonstrating their pro-Ukrainian stance. Particular attention was paid to the militarisation of children and young people, as well as crimes committed by the russian federation involving the illegal transfer of children from/through the territory of occupied Crimea. Emphasis was also placed on violations of freedom of religion and the aggressor's attempts to destroy Ukrainian and Crimean Tatar identity. Separately, the participants of the briefing raised the issue of violations of international humanitarian law in the occupied territories of Ukraine and measures aimed at drawing the attention of the international community to the issue of the liberation of Crimea.
The briefing included an exhibition demonstrating the extent of the destruction of religious and cultural sites by the russian federation, which is using this as part of its strategy to suppress Ukrainian and Crimean Tatar identity and erase cultural memory.
The First Deputy Speaker recalled that one of the first international steps towards the de-occupation of Crimea and the protection of the rights of the Crimean Tatar and Ukrainian populations on the peninsula was the Crimean Platform, a new international consultation and coordination format initiated by Ukraine in 2020. It brought together the efforts of world leaders, governments and human rights organisations to de-occupy Crimea and return it to Ukraine. At the parliamentary level, the leading role is played by the Interfactional Association ‘Crimean Platform’, created in the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine in December 2020.
Oleksandr Korniienko outlined Ukraine's priorities in the international arena: increasing sanctions pressure on russia, recognising the 1944 deportation of the Crimean Tatar people as genocide, actively working within the Crimean Platform, particularly its parliamentary dimension, and supporting people held captive in russia. He spoke about the ‘Letters to Free Crimea’ initiative, a project in which anyone can write words of support to Ukrainian political prisoners from Crimea. The First Deputy Speaker noted that the letters do not pose a security risk to the recipients, but send an important signal: people have not been forgotten and the fight for their freedom continues.
He stressed the importance of informing countries on all continents about human rights violations in Crimea: pseudo-referendums, deportations, prisoners and civilian hostages, which, in his words, are an echo of russia's colonial policy towards Crimea and Donbas, which has lasted for decades.
Oleksandr Korniienko emphasised that the issue of the Crimean peninsula is transparent and clear to the whole world: it is about illegal annexation, deportation of the indigenous population and enslavement of people by russia. Thanks to global attention, the fifth summit of the Crimean Platform may become the largest in terms of the number of participants.
He thanked the participants of the briefing and the countries they represent for their attention to the Crimean issue and their support, and expressed confidence that more can be achieved through joint efforts.