In early June UWC leadership held an online meeting with Refat Chubarov, Chairman of the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar People and leaders of the World Congress of Crimean Tatars (WCCT): Namik Kemal Bayar, WCCT Secretary General, members of the WCCT Executive committee Ayla Bakkali (USA), Nedim Useinov (Poland), Rustem Irsay (Canada). Paul Grod, UWC President, Andriy Futey, UWC Vice-President, Andrij Dobriansky, Head of the UWC International Council on UN Affairs, Mariia Kupriianova, UWC Executive Director, and Serhiy Kasyanchuk, Director of the UWC Mission to Ukraine, also participated in this meeting.
The collaboration priorities remain unchanged: de-occupation of Crimea, fight against Russian aggression and disinformation, human rights protection in temporarily occupied Crimea, joint international advocacy for maintaining and strengthening sanctions against Russia, as well as joint efforts to achieve recognition of the historic truth about the genocide of the Crimean Tatar people in 1944.
Cultural diplomacy and informational events are important examples of this collaboration. Global Ukrainian communities traditionally join events in support of the Crimean Tatar people. During the commemorative events in May this year, UWC President Paul Grod spoke at the International online rally in remembrance of the genocide of the Crimean Tatar people. In May this year, the Ukrainians in Portugal joined the automotive rally in Lisboa. In Winnipeg (Canada), Manitoba Provincial Council displayed the Crimean Tatar flag on 18 May.
“Our joint goal is to constantly turn the attention of the global community to the issues of deoccupation of Crimea, blatant human rights violations in the occupied peninsula and to the political persecutions of Crimean activists by the Russian authorities. We call on the world to heed the painful lessons of history and stop the crimes of the modern-day Kremlin aggressor. We stand with the Crimean Tatar people in proclaiming again and again: Crimea is Ukraine” – stated UWC President Paul Grod.
Picture by: crimeahrg.org
