Mustafa Cemilev: Ukraine is indivisible, and Crimea is part of the united Ukraine

Kyiv, March, 5th, 2014 – Mustafa Сemilev, People’s Deputy of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, the former Head of the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatars during the media briefing at the Ukraine Crisis Media Center said: “Ukraine is indivisible. Crimea is an integral part of the united Ukraine. Any revision of the state borders, detaching a part of a country’s territory and attaching it to another one contravenes all international standards, in particular the 1975 Helsinki convention.”

“Every day it’s becoming more and more difficult to stop my compatriots: the people are furious. We understand that we must not yield to provocations, but if your country is occupied, something must be done. We fear that in this situation the Crimean Tatars will suffer the most,”- added Mustafa Cemilev.

“The Crimean Tatars have adopted a wait-and-see attitude. We do understand that the occupation forces need a pretext for bringing in the troops. Silence, peace, the absence of collisions is very fragile. In this situation our main hope lies with  international organizations, because if we (both the Crimean Tatars and the Ukrainian armed forces) enter into an armed conflict, there will be a great number of victims, “- Cemilev emphasized.

Speaking to the latest events in Crimea, Mustafa Cemilev said: “It’s hard to believe that in the beginning of the 21st century, the occupation of the Crimean peninsula by the country that calls itself a fraternal state has become possible. There are soldiers on the streets without identification insignia, manifestations under the slogans “Crimea – Russia” are being orchestrated, armed seizure of the governmental buildings take place, blockages of all military units and proposals to swear allegiance to Russia, the dismissal of the Head of the Autonomy Anatoly Mogilev who stated that Crimea is a part of Ukraine,” – Cemilev said.

Mustafa Cemilev is a Ukrainian politician, one of the leaders of the Crimean Tatar national movement, Head of Mejlis of the Crimean Tatars (in 1991-2013), People’s Deputy of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine on behalf of the ‘Batkivshchyna’ Party.