Chairman of the Board of the Crimean Tatar Resource Centre, member of Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar people Eskender Bariiev recalled the importance of granting an official status to the Crimean Tatar flag.
“On the one hand, the whole tape is in beautiful photos of the Crimean Tatar flag, and in the government quarter in Kyiv, and on administrative buildings throughout Ukraine, and in Ukrainian embassies in different countries, and photos of people with the Crimean Tatar flag in different corners of the globe, publications of friends who congratulate Crimean Tatars on the Flag Day! And this is wonderful, because this is a manifestation of respect and solidarity with the Crimean Tatar people, this is the perception of the Ukrainian society of the Crimean Tatar flag as an integral part of its symbols,” – he said.
On the other hand, according to Eskender Bariiev, the Crimean Tatar flag for 10 years of occupation of Crimea has not deserved to be in the legal field of Ukraine, and the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar people does not have the legal status of a representative body of the indigenous people of Ukraine, although the current legislation of Ukraine allows it.
“Unfortunately, until now, the official flag of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea is the tricolour – the symbol of the illegal “Republic of Crimea”. Indeed, the Crimean Tatar flag and tamga are official symbols of the indigenous Crimean Tatar people in accordance with the decisions of the Kurultai, but this is not enough for them to receive official status in Ukraine. We are talking about legal recognition,” – the expert explained.
The Mejlis member emphasized that the flag of the Crimean Tatar people should be official in Crimea, and the Day of the Crimean Tatar flag should be official in Ukraine.
“Now we have all legal mechanisms to cancel the official status of the tricolour and fix the status of the official flag of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea to the flag of the Crimean Tatar people even before the liberation of Crimea and the restoration of control by the Ukrainian authorities,” – he added.