European integrators from “Mejlis” resist to the Eurasian Crimea

The chairman of the board of the Milliy Firqa organization, the vice-chairman of Council of representatives of the Crimean Tatar people at the President of Ukraine Vasvi Ennanovich Abduraimov answers the questions of the Internet portal “The world and we”.

- What is the Mejlis for the Crimean Tatars today? How it influences the Crimean Tatar community?

At present the Crimean Tatars are divided into three parts on sympathies. There is a part which sees the future of the Crimea in the closest communications with Europe – the so-called “European integrators”. Both the political will and sympathy of these people is formed by Millie Mejlis's structures. There is a part which sees the future in orthodox Islam. This part is insignificant, but continues to be formed. It is presented by groups of salafits, “Hizb ut-Tahrir” and traditional Islam to a lesser extent.

Also there is a part which sees the future in big space of the Eurasian world, from where came, there are and will be the Crimean Tatars. Each of these groups has institutes, including political. In this sense the attempts of Mejlis are absolutely inadequate to present themselves as the only representative body. This organization degenerated in a narrow clan, a certain circle of people which pursue own political and business interests, using an ethnic question. Therefore today the Mejlis can't represent all range of interests of groups of the Crimean Tatars. This is one of many public structures which can't in any way or doesn't want to define the place in a legal framework of Ukraine. In such look it exists today.

There was time when, having adopted the slogans of national movement of the Crimean Tatars about homecoming and statehood restoration, on a wave of powerful passionary lifting the Mejlis had very considerable support of all layers of the Crimean Tatars who saw the spokesman of these moods in it. But since 1997 when this structure was struck by the first crisis connected with loud corruption scandals and refusal of the declared purposes and tasks, the Mejlis started losing the positions on the scale of all Crimean Tatars and also in the Crimean and Ukrainian politicum. Now this crisis struck Mejlis to the basis. And I don't see any future of this structure. Unless, it will exist as one of public associations still some time.

- How can you explain that the Mejlis is represented as the only representative body of the Crimean Tatars in many mass media?

The matter is in the split of Ukraine, including the socio-cultural bases. There is the western part of Ukraine which sees itself as the part of the European Union and NATO. And doesn't wait other future for itself. In this group of interests there is also a system of kurultai -Mejlis. And all mass media which propagandize this line, broadcast these values, of course, represent Mejlis as the only representative body, trying to show that in the Crimea there is an enclave of westernized moods in the form of the Crimean Tatars. But this is absolutely distorted representation. We carried out the analysis of elections to the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine in October, 2012 according to more than 20 polling stations organized in places of compact accommodation of the Crimean Tatars where they made more than 90% of voters. For that political force (“Batkivshchyna”) where the leader of Mejlis Mustafa Jemilev was 12th number and for which there was a strengthened promotion from their party, no more than 17% of voters voted. Here is their real support today. But, of course, such figures are unpleasant for apologists of Mejlis who would like to see other picture. But as there is no such picture, they draw it artificially, representing Mejlis as the only representative body.

But even the Ukrainian authorities at last understood that approach which they adhered the last 20 years when, despite contradictions, the cooperation with this structure was conducted, led to that relationship with the Crimean Tatars started giving failure. Therefore now there is a search of a new format of dialogue of the power with the Crimea and the Crimean Tatars. And such dialogue is formed - in 2010 a meeting of the head of state took place with the Crimean Tatars at which there was a reformatting of Council of representatives at the President. Then the main directions of the Crimean Tatar perspective in Ukraine were designated. This is the adoption of law about rehabilitations, the solution of land and language problems, return from dispatch places. And this program is realized now by Council of representatives.

- It is known that the Mejlis actively cooperates with the foreign organizations, in particular, with the International Republican Institute which is headed by senator John McCain. Can you tell in what the cooperation of this organization with Mejlis consists and on what purposes it is directed?

It is known that senator John McCain is the ardent Islamophobe. It would seem how is it possible to build kind relationship of the Crimean Tatars who are Muslims with such politician? If a certain organization speaks out in defence of interests of the Crimean Tatars, so it a priori speaks out in defence of their cultural wealth. In this sense the close, kind relations with the International Republican Institute in the person of this senator cause very serious suspicions - what program does the Mejlis management realise in general? The Crimean Tatar or certain other? Most likely, certain other. Therefore for 22 years we see as far as that most powerful passionary lifting with which the Crimean Tatars returned home, comes to naught zero and all achievements of the beginning- middle of the 90th years are almost lost. I think that strategy “The Crimea without the Crimean Tatars” is still realized in the sphere of representation, the power, property and business. Possibly, the Crimea “is smoothed out” for other global projects the representative of which is the senator John McCain.

- How do the radical Islamic currents widespread among the Crimean Tatars? In particular, it is known that the radical party “Hizb ut-Tahrir” operates in the Crimea. How does it influence the moods of the Crimean Tatars and how is it widespread?

As well as on all post- Soviet space, after leaving of dominating ideology on the one hand there is a return to primordial values, and on the other there is a competition to new, aggressive ideologies, including the radical. The Crimean Tatar community is in very difficult conditions in the Crimea. Especially it is reflected on young generation, whom it is difficult to get a worthy education, it is even more difficult to get good work, to establish the full-fledged family which is well off. In these conditions such radical ideologies are demanded. And they really mentioned the Crimean Tatar society. In these conditions it is necessary to build positive alternative, prospect of the exclusive future. And it, first of all, a problem of the Crimean Tatar elite which we seek to form during the activity of our organization “Milliy Firqa”, the Crimean Tatar popular front which rallied nearly two tens public structures and Muslim communities of the Crimea round “Milliy Firqa”. The great value in formation of new prospects plays the Council of representatives at the President - there was absolutely lawful, available platform for conducting constructive dialogue with the existing power.

Therefore if not to present an exclusive picture of the future to the Crimean Tatar youth, I think that these ideologies can amplify in the Crimea. And we perfectly see to what the strengthening of these ideologies leads. With the help of skillful conducting from the London and Bruxelles headquarters this destructive energy goes on that occurred in Tunisia and Libya, and now occurs in Syria. This danger exists, but the main thing is not to pass a “non-return” point when control over a situation can be completely lost.

- It is known that many Turkish funds support certain projects and actions in the Crimea. Is the influence in the Crimea on the Crimean Tatar community strong from Turkey?

Turkey has many own problems. First of all, it is the territorial integrity – the danger of creation, including the part of its territories of independent Kurdistan is great. Therefore any aggressive, active position of Turkey in the Crimea isn't noticeable. A quantity of business projects is carried out, but active intervention in life of the Crimean Tatar society from Turkey is not noticeable.

There are traditional ties in the spiritual sphere - through Spiritual Management of Muslims of the Crimea, which cooperates with Turkish diyanet (The Ministry of Religious Affairs) which, of course, would like that in the Crimea that ideology of Islam which official Turkey adheres has big influence and also to reduce the influence of their competitors in the Middle East - Saudi Arabia and Iran. In this direction there are certain contacts, there is a preparation and retraining of priests in Turkey.

In the sphere of business there is no strong integration. The Turks are too pragmatic and if carry out business projects, work only from the point of view of their interest. Thus any support and the help of the Crimean Tatar part of this business aren't visible.

There is a certain support of humanitarian projects and programs from the state structures of Turkey and non-state funds. But as here, in the Crimea and in Turkey those who are acquainted with their realization very well heat hands on these programs. And therefore the efficiency of this help is the lowest. From Turkey such “approach” is carried out to a lesser extent, but here the most part of these means spread on personal pockets and therefore there is no talk about the serious help in national scale.

- Representatives of Mejlis openly declare that carry out a certain counteraction to “the Russian separatism” in the Crimea. Does this “separatism” exist and what do you think of such position of Mejlis?

I don't understand the definition “the Russian separatism” at all which sounds absolutely absurdly for social and cultural conditions of the Crimea. Such statements are connected with more global processes. There is a competition of two big projects across the Crimea: where Ukraine and so the Crimea will be entered, in what geopolitical system of coordinates. Will it be the Eurasian economic and in the future, probably, general political space, or attempts to enter the Crimea in the European integration processes, though there are neither historical, nor political bases for such prospect.

To what does the Mejlis resist? They claim that are the only force in a counterbalance of any “Russian separatism” because they are open opponents of the Eurasian integration of Ukraine and the Crimea. And in this statement it is rather not the anti-Russian orientation, but an orientation against the Eurasian project as that, threatening their European integration expectations. Though, it should be noted that they always positioned themselves as ardent opponents of Russia as a whole and as Russophobes in particular. They never hide it. But similar moods are absolutely not inherent to the Crimean Tatar people as a whole.

- How the situation in the Crimea has to develop in your opinion? Has it to be a national autonomy of the Crimean Tatars or the status of the Crimea has to remain in its current form? Can your organization to become the leading in representation of interests of the Crimean Tatars?

We don't hide that over time we want to become one of the leading political forces in the Crimea. Also we don't hide that we see the future and the Crimea in uniform Eurasian space. The historical situation will define a place of the Crimea in this space. We don't see the Crimea in any other quality. And how the national component will develop in the Crimea, what form of statehood the Crimea will represent and how it will protect the interests of indigenous people and all other people and ethnic communities is already the questions of future. But everything has to occur a natural way. We see the prospect that the influence of the Crimean Tatar component in the Crimea will grow. It is natural as we are the primordial inhabitants of this land and we are going to live and create here. And, as it is told in our program, no later than the 2040th year the form of statehood which in the Crimea will be constructed by then, has to reflect this Crimean Tatar specifics of the Crimea.