The second panel discussion “Why the de-occupation of the peninsula is not only about the territorial integrity of Ukraine”
“Crimea of the future. What Ukraine is doing to reintegrate the peninsula today and what are the priorities in the absence of control”
Within the framework of the events dedicated to the Day of Resistance to the Occupation of Crimea “26-2-14 The War Started in Crimea”, the second panel discussion “The first panel discussion “Crimea and the Peace Formula. Why the de-occupation of the peninsula is not only about the territorial integrity of Ukraine” was held as part of the forum “26-2-14: The war began in Crimea”.
The discussion was moderated by Ukrainian international journalist Natalia Humeniuk.
The discussion was attended by Deputy Minister of Development of Communities, Territories and Infrastructure of Ukraine Oleksandra Azarkhina, Head of the Prosecutor’s Office of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and Sevastopol Ihor Ponochovnyi, Member of the Ukrainian Parliament Roman Hryshchuk, Advocacy Director of the Human Rights Center Alyona Luneva, expert on security and stability, cognitive de-occupation of Crimea Dmytro Teperik.
In her keynote speech, the Permanent Representative Tamila Tasheva said: “We are confident that after the de-occupation of Crimea, after the return of the Ukrainian state, stability and security to Crimea, after the implementation of all the reforms that have been implemented throughout Ukraine, we will be able to build a new Crimea, with innovative approaches to the economy, human potential, new approaches in all areas, where the restoration and realization of the rights of the indigenous peoples of Ukraine: Crimean Tatars, Krymchaks and Karaites, as well as national minorities will be ensured.”
Next, the floor was given to Oleksandra Azarkhina, Deputy Minister of Communities, Territories and Infrastructure Development of Ukraine, who spoke about the system of measures aimed at restoring business in the de-occupied territories and the importance of attracting investors for the further development of the region: “While we are not doing enough, we really want to do more. In fact, all we can offer to a Crimean who is in the occupied territory is the future, unlike the occupiers, who can only offer him the past.”
Ihor Ponochovnyi, Head of the Prosecutor’s Office of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and Sevastopol, emphasized the importance of developing the legislative framework and changing the strategy to take into account all aspects of restoring justice in the de-occupied territories.
“The full-scale invasion brought us closer to the issue of de-occupation than ever before: when the whole country saw the power of our Armed Forces, everyone believed that we could finally get into Crimea. We continue to believe that we will succeed,” Ponochovny added.
Summarizing, he noted that now, unlike in 2014, there is a solid foundation for such legislative changes, and therefore they will be effective.
Also emphasizing the importance of the legislative framework, the discussion was joined by the advocacy director of the ZMINA Human Rights Center
Alyona Luneva, advocacy director of the ZMINA Center for Human Rights, outlined the problems of reintegration measures on the peninsula.
“When we talk about the need for de-occupation, what needs to be done after liberation, how to protect our people who are there, we must remember that we do not have all the information.
The Crimeans have a very strong desire to determine what will happen to ordinary people who have been surviving there all this time in the occupied territories. And we, as a state, must take responsibility and develop mechanisms right now to make life easier for the population after de-occupation,” Luneva commented.
The next speaker was Roman Hryshchuk, Member of the Ukrainian Parliament, who focused on cognitive de-occupation: “The war began in Crimea 10 years ago, but the cognitive occupation and the spread of systemic propaganda by Russia began much earlier.”
He emphasized the importance of reforming education in the de-occupied territories, noting that changes should be implemented at all levels: education of children, teenagers, and professionals who will remain working on the peninsula.
The closing remarks of the second panel belonged to Dmytro Teperik, an expert on security and stability, cognitive de-occupation of Crimea.
He continued the topic of cognitive de-occupation, noting that it is a unique process, just as the situation in Crimea is unique.
“We are trying to find parallels in other countries, but there are a limited number of such examples that can be applied, whose experience can be used for the de-occupation of Crimea. So, we need intellectual courage to develop a purely Ukrainian approach, together with international partners and friends,” said Teperik, citing the example of Estonia’s experience in dealing with the consequences of the occupation. He noted that we cannot predict Russia’s behavior in response to these changes, but we can strengthen Ukraine by minimizing internal risks.