The Ukrainian government must tell Crimeans what it is doing to protect them. Thus, it is very important to provide a broadcast on the temporarily occupied peninsula, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stressed during the opening of the Age of Crimea 2020 forum in Kyiv.
“It is important to provide broadcast to Crimea. People there need a source of objective information about modern Ukraine. I also want to assure that ATR channel will continue broadcasting - no one will deprive them of state support. This issue will be resolved in the near future,” Volodymyr Zelenskyy assured.
The President noted that the Ukrainian authorities would do everything for the blue-yellow flag to be hoisted over Crimea again. But there are things one can and should do today.
"First of all, it is support for the citizens who live in Crimea or have a Crimean registration," the Head of State said.
According to the President, in previous years, the authorities declared at every opportunity that Crimea is Ukraine, and in reality Crimeans receive Ukrainian birth certificates through a complex court procedure and cannot open a bank account or take out a loan.
“I think this is unacceptable and shameful for Ukraine. These problems have existed for six years, and only now they are being actively addressed by the government,” Volodymyr Zelenskyy stressed.
According to him, it is also very important what kind of Ukraine Crimeans see when crossing the checkpoints with the temporarily occupied peninsula.
“It should be a comfortable, safe, illuminated country with normal roads and, pardon me, operating toilets. That is why we paid such attention to the construction of comfortable checkpoints. And we did it. At the same time, despite their attractiveness, I want to emphasize that these are temporary structures. Additionally, the state, in cooperation with SOCAR, will have opened a large hub serving the citizens at Chonhar by the end of the year. There will be a full-fledged administrative service center, a recreation area and other important facilities,” the President said.
Also, as the Head of State remarked, an agreement was reached with Turkey on joint construction of 500 apartments for internally displaced persons from Crimea.
"In the coming days, the Turkish side is coming to Ukraine to select sites for construction," the President emphasized.
In addition, we need to fight for Ukrainian youth in Crimea, in particular by making it easier for them to access educational services and facilitating their life in Ukraine.
According to the President, work is also underway to introduce important elements of transitional justice and restore historical justice for Crimean Tatars as an indigenous people of Ukraine.