May 31, 2005

Crimean Tatars Dissatisfied With Yushchenko Statement


Crimean Tatars are indignant over a recent statement by Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko that the Milli Mejlis, or Tatar National Congress, should reject its declaration on sovereignty
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Crimean Tatars are indignant over a recent statement by Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko that the Milli Mejlis, or Tatar National Congress, should reject its declaration on sovereignty, RosBalt reported on 20 May, citing the newspaper "Poluostrov." Yushchenko, meeting with Milli Mejlis leaders on 5 May in Bakhchisarai, asked them to reject the 1991 declaration on the national sovereignty of Crimean Tatars, which he described as a document that "contradicts the Ukrainian Constitution and causes anxiety among Crimean communities." The paper opines that "representatives of the elder generation see the president's words as humiliating to Crimean Tatars, people who, like Ukrainians, have a right to self-determination." The Crimean Tatar youth organization Devlet has also condemned Yushchenko's statement, saying Crimean Tatars will never refuse their right to statehood. The 1991 declaration states that "Crimea is a national territory of the Crimean Tatar people on which they alone have the right of self-determination" as accorded by internationally recognized legislation.