Human rights activists informed about the implementation of the Crimean Platform initiative, a key instrument for coordinating international efforts aimed at de-occupation of Crimea. This took place at SOUTHERN DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY, the First International Investment Forum “, held on June 10-11 in the village of Strilkove, Kherson region.
During the expert panel “Temporary occupation of Crimea: risks for the south and ways to minimize them,” Ms.Olha Skrypnyk, head of the Crimean Human Rights Group, recalled three dimensions of the “Crimean Platform”: government, parliament, and expert network.
“The “mission” of the Crimean platform is to facilitate the consolidation of international support for the liberation of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol, the Black and Azov Seas from Russian occupation, to overcome its negative consequences, develop and advocate expert developments on the relevant topic,” Ms.Skrypnyk reminded.
Apart from this, the human rights activist added that Crimean Platform network experts could be people who shared the values of the initiative, in particular, respect (for): the territorial integrity of Ukraine, restoration of state sovereignty within its internationally recognized borders; principles of human rights and international humanitarian law; respect to the rights of national minorities, indigenous peoples, in particular, to the realization of the right of the indigenous Crimean Tatar people to self-determination; principles of inclusiveness of dialogue and their observance; the processes of ensuring all-Ukrainian social cohesion and conflict prevention; as well as support of political decisions in regulating that would not create a risk of emergence of other conflicts.
Mr.Anton Korynevych, Permanent Representative of the President of Ukraine to the ARC, and Ms.Emine Dzhaparova, First Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, highlighted the importance of intensifying the efforts of the international community aimed at de-occupying the Ukrainian peninsula and responding to Russia’s violation of the norms and principles of international law.
In addition, among experts speaking during the panel were Ms.Valentyna Samar, Editor-in-Chief of the IA Center for Journalist Investigations; Ms.Valentyna Potapova, Head of the educational department of the Ukrainian Helsinki Human Rights Union, and Head of the Almenda Center for Civic Education, Mr.Oleksiy Tilnenko, Coordinator of the NGO KrimSOS, Mr. Eskender Bariyev, Chairman of the Bard of the Crimean Tatar Resource Center, Head of the Department for legal issues and foreign affairs of the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar people, Mr. Yevhen Khlobystiv, expert of the KTRC, professor of the Kyiv-Mohyla Academy, and Ms. Tetiana Kurmanova, Hromadske Radio program director.
They discussed topics of economic relations with the occupied Crimea; Russian policy of information isolation of the occupied Crimea and its impact on the information security of southern Ukraine; the ecological situation in the temporarily occupied Crimea; educational and integration programs for young people from Crimea to enhance sustainable development of southern Ukraine; infrastructure and administrative services; the role of the “Crimean Platform” in achieving sustainable development in the south of Ukraine in the context of the implementation of the rights of indigenous peoples;
The meeting participants noted that the main purpose of the Crimean Platform was the de-occupation of Crimea, while the Crimean Platform expert network should, in particular, become a major platform for developing solutions to minimize the impact of Crimea occupation consequences on the development of the South of Ukraine.
