Kyiv and Crimea Poised To Enforce Agreement

As reported by the Ukrinform News Agency, President Kuchma has signed instructions to the Government agencies in the aftermath of the Council of Representatives of Crimean Tatars session held in Bakhchysarai on November 10, 2000.

These instructions seek to solve several important problems facing the Crimean Tatars, such as integrating them into Ukraine’s society, providing household subsidies to repatriates living in unfinished houses, creating new jobs for repatriates at the expense of various funding sources, ensuring bank financing of settlement programs, raising funds to restore the Bakhchysarai Historical and Cultural Reserve, and improving medical services to deported citizens who have returned to the Crimea. Mustafa Dzhemiliov, head of the Council of the Representatives of Crimean Tatar People and People’s Deputy, and Serhiy Kunitsyn, head of the Crimean Government, said that both the central government and state agencies of the Crimean Republic have begun to enforce Bakhchysarai decisions, and there are positive Presidential instructions that will help solve the problems of repatriation in this part of Ukraine. Incidentally, in the course of his visit to Turkey late last week, the Ukrainian president also addressed a number of problems of this people.

The Turkish president confirmed the old wish of his government to build 1000 houses for Crimean Tatars. It is important that, while bearing no political responsibility for the deportation of Crimean Tatars, Ukraine has taken positive measures to promote their full integration into contemporary Ukrainian society and attempted to ensure their rightful place in this country, despite all our economic hardships.