Who Will the Crimea Belong To? 

"The participants of the meeting will live in tents until the government fulfills, at least partially, our demands," said Chairman of the Crimean Tatar Majlis Mustafa Dzhemiliov.

Mr. Dzhemiliov also stressed that the"Issue of acquiring Ukrainian citizenship by the Crimean Tatars is already far from being the key problem for the deported people. It will be settled by December 31 of this year. As of now we must solve the problem of the Crimean Tatar people's representation in the Crimean Supreme Council and in all executive organs."

According to the bill On the Status of the Crimean Tatar People in Ukraine, jointly developed by the Ministry of Justice, the State Committee for Nationalities and Migrations, and the Crimean Tatar Majlis, Crimean native peoples would make up not less than 20% of People Deputies to the Crimean Supreme Council. The same percentage of Crimean Tatars would be employed by local authorities and security bodies. According to Mr. Dzhemiliov,"today Crimean Tatars can get a job in governmental organizations only if there are no Russian or Ukrainian candidates. Of 15,000 employees in the Crimean Ministry of Internal Affairs there are only 70 Crimean Tatars."
 
 

Another problem of no less importance for the Crimean Tatars is creating for them national and territorial autonomy in the Crimea, and recognizing the language of the Crimean Tatars as a state language equal to Russian and Ukrainian.

Mr. Dzhemiliov said: "In the situation that came to exist, the Ukrainian government could at least calm down the native people, brought to despair, by recognizing the Majlis as the body, which represents the interests of the Crimean Tatars in Ukraine." He also emphasized that "historically, the Crimea belongs to the Crimean Tatars and they will fight for their rights using all methods possible. If Crimean Tatar demands are further ignored, it is not ruled out that one day their columns will block rail traffic and temporarily paralyze the peninsula.

THE DAY'S REFERENCE

Currently, the Crimean Tatars account for 12% of the Crimea's population. Following the measures implemented by the Ukrainian government and the UN Office of the Chief Commissioner for Refugees in Ukraine, 5,000 Crimean Tatars who have returned to Ukraine, but de jure remained citizens of Uzbekistan, have acquired Ukrainian citizenship; 25,000 of the deported people have applied for cancellation of their Uzbek citizenship and designation as Ukrainian citizens, while 36,000 Tatars living in the Crimea are still citizens of Uzbekistan.