Head of the Board of the Crimean Tatar Resource Center, member of the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar people Eskender Bariiev commented on the possible appointment of Rustem Umerov as Minister of Defense of Ukraine.
Bariiev stressed that international relations and defense, according to the Constitution of Ukraine, are priority areas for the President of Ukraine, therefore the nomination of the Minister of Defense to the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine is the initiative of the President and his responsibility. In addition, the Minister of Defense must be a civilian (non-military) person, a manager – these are NATO standards, of which Ukraine aspires to become a member.
According to Bariiev, the participation of Rustem Umerov is effective in the supply of weapons to Ukraine and the release of prisoners of war, in particular military personnel from the Azov regiment, regardless of his affiliation with the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine.
“Rustem Umerov is a representative of the indigenous Crimean Tatar people, whose homeland is still under Russian occupation, which is his personal motivation to fight until complete victory, and will also increase the confidence of Ukraine’s allies in supporting the war against the aggressor”,- the expert noted.
Eskender Bariiev noted that by appointing a representative of the Crimean Tatar people as Minister of Defense of Ukraine, Ukraine demonstrates to the whole world that there is no xenophobia, racial prejudice and Nazism in Ukraine, from which Russia undertook to cleanse it.