Eskender Bariiev held a meeting with the political advisor to the OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities, Czeslaw Walek.

On Tuesday, October 7, Eskender Bariiev, Chairman of the Board of the Crimean Tatar Resource Center and member of the Presidium of the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar People, held a meeting with Czeslaw Walek, Political Advisor to the OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities.

Eskender Bariiev informed the OSCE representative about the problems with the implementation of the Law of Ukraine “On Indigenous Peoples of Ukraine,” adopted in 2021. He noted that the law requires the adoption of a number of subordinate acts for its full implementation.

Separately, he noted the need to amend existing relevant laws of Ukraine to bring them into line with the Law of Ukraine “On Indigenous Peoples of Ukraine.”

The chairman of the CTRC  board also spoke about the problems with securing the legal status of the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar people as the representative body of the indigenous people of Ukraine by the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine.

The documents for this were submitted back in 2023, but unfortunately, this issue has still not been resolved. He stressed that the implementation of this process is not only an internal need of the indigenous peoples and Ukrainian society, but will also enhance Ukraine’s international image and is an effective tool in the struggle to restore Ukraine’s territorial integrity.

During the meeting, special attention was paid to the situation with Crimean political prisoners, who are being deprived of Russian citizenship by the occupying authorities, which creates the risk of their deportation to their places of birth — Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Kazakhstan.

Eskender Bariiev stressed that it is important for the OSCE to help these individuals and their families obtain assistance from Ukraine in restoring their Ukrainian documents and finding intermediary countries that could help resolve these issues. He also recalled the positive experience of the OSCE and Ukraine in simplified naturalization (obtaining Ukrainian citizenship) for Crimean Tatars who returned to Crimea in the 1990s.

He also stressed the importance of developing an OSCE Action Plan for the protection of indigenous peoples of Ukraine in the OSCE region, which would include the above-mentioned issues and cover all other issues related to the occupation of Crimea and Russia’s armed aggression against Ukraine.

In addition, the chairman of the CTRC board reported that after the start of the full-scale invasion, many Crimean Tatars were forced to leave for Europe, Turkey, and Central Asia. He stressed the need for systematic work on the part of the OSCE and Ukraine to protect their rights, preserve their national identity, and monitor the situation.

Eskender Bariiev expressed the Crimean Tatar Resource Center’s readiness to join in developing the OSCE action plan, noting that they already have experience in this area, particularly in protecting the rights of Roma and Sinti.

Following the meeting, the parties agreed to continue the dialogue. A series of meetings with the Political Advisor to the OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities, Czeslaw Walek, is planned for the future to further discuss issues related to the protection of the rights of the Crimean Tatar people and other indigenous peoples of Ukraine, as well as to strengthen cooperation with the OSCE in this area.