On Nov. 17, Emine Dzheppar, first deputy foreign minister of Ukraine, met with ambassadors of European Union member states to present reports on the situation inside occupied Crimea.
The meeting with EU member states, hosted by the EU delegation to Ukraine, highlighted mass human rights violations on the peninsula and thanked members for their “consistent support of sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine.”
During the meeting, Dzheppar appealed to EU member states and international partners to join the newly created Crimean Platform, an initiative that aims to achieve the de-occupation of the Crimean Peninsula by diplomatic means. Launched in October, the platform is seen as “a new instrument to get Crimea back.” Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine in March 2014, and almost simultaneously started a proxy war in eastern Ukraine.
Unlike the Normandy format meetings hosted in France to negotiate peace in eastern Ukraine, until October, there was no international platform for discussing the resolution of the Crimean question.
The Crimean Platform initiative aims to become such a platform. The organisation aims to serve as the next Misk format, coordinating political leaders, inviting analysts to discuss solutions to the occupation, and raising awareness about the occupation. It will culminate in a meeting in May 2021 named the “Crimean Summit.” The meeting is expected to host nations from around the world who will demonstrate their solidarity with Ukraine’s territorial integrity. Baltic nations, the United States, and Turkey have already expressed their interest in the platform. Dzheppar also stated that Russia will be invited to the summit.
The presentation of the Crimean Platform was attended by the Permanent Representative of Crimea Anton Korynevyvch and Chairman of the Mejlis of the Crimea Tatar People Refat Chubarov. The meeting discussed the worrying militarization of the region, racial discrimination towards the Crimean Tatar community, and threats to maritime security in the Black and Azov Seas.
Dzeheppar thanked EU countries for their consistent sanctioning of Russia and called for increased pressure and solidarity against the Crimean occupiers. Russia recently held internationally unrecognized local elections in the occupied territory of Crimea and Simferopol.
Dzheppar has served as the first deputy foreign minister since June. A former journalist of Crimean Tatar origin and a fluent English speaker, Dzheppar has been a vocal voice for Crimea in the Ukrainian government. In an interview with Euractiv, Dzheppar stated that the occupation of Crimea was “keeping 2.5 millions of Ukrainians as hostages.”
