Kyiv: Ukraine is preparing strategy for ‘de-occupation of Crimea’
The Office of the Ukrainian President in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, in cooperation with the Ministry of Reintegration of Temporarily Occupied Territories, the National Security Council and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is working on a strategy for the de-occupation and reintegration of the annexed peninsula, by the president's permanent representative in Crimea Anton Korynevych.
"Now the strategy is being worked out. In fact, the mission resuscitated work in this direction. Our position is unequivocal - the state should have such a strategy," Korinevich said .
He also noted the importance of the adoption of the law on the indigenous peoples of Ukraine to consolidate this concept at the state level and demonstrate that in Ukraine there are three indigenous people who are related to the Crimean peninsula: Crimean Tatars, Karaites and Crimeans.
"The work is underway. On 8 July, there will be hearings before the Parliamentary Committee on Human Rights and Deoccupation on the issue of indigenous rights. I think there may be some positive progress on this issue. We are confident that the legislative regulation of the rights of indigenous peoples is mandatory, and we need to bring this issue to a logical conclusion," he said.
Korynevych stressed that “the resumption of water supply to the peninsula is possible only after the de-occupation of Crimea, and this is a significant lever of pressure on the occupier country”.
As for detained Ukrainian citizens living in Crimea, Korynevych said that, according to their data, at present 94 Ukrainian political prisoners are in the territory of the annexed Crimea and the Russian Federation, about 70 of them - Crimean Tatars. Their release is constantly raised by representatives of the Ukrainian government and diplomats at the international level.
"And, in our opinion, it is really important to adopt legislation and a law that would deal with guarantees of social and legal protection of political prisoners, prisoners and their families," - concluded Korynevych.
In early May, Foreign Minister Dmyto Kuleba said that Ukraine is developing the concept for getting the Russian-annexed Crimea bacxk under the control of the Ukrainian government. To do this, he said, it is necessary to solve several tactical and strategic issues.