Ukrainian President promised to give Eid al-Adha and Eid al-Fitr the status of state religious holidays

editor — Mon, 18 May 2020 16:47:37 +0000

Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that in the coming days he plans to sign a decree according to which Eid al-Adha and Eid al-Fitr will receive the status of state religious holidays. This was announced during the meeting of President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy with representatives of the Crimean Tatar people.

According to the web-site of President's office, the Head of State expressed condolences on the Day of Remembrance of the Victims of the Crimean Tatar Genocide,

"We all understand that deportation is one of the terrible tragedies of the Crimean Tatar people, the people of Ukraine and our land. Hundreds of thousands of Crimean Tatar families were forcibly expelled from their homeland. Eternal memory to the victims," Volodymyr Zelenskyy said.

The President noted that it is very important that Ukrainian children know about this tragic page of history. That is why the educational project "Nationwide School Online" today broadcasts lessons on the deportation of Crimean Tatars.

"We want to build a state in which everyone feels like a citizen of Ukraine. I would like everyone to feel like a full-fledged citizen, not forgetting the history and traditions of one’s own people. We want to support you not only in words, but in actions, at the legislative level," the Head of State stressed, addressing the representatives of the Crimean Tatar people.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that in the coming days he plans to sign a decree according to which Eid al-Adha and Eid al-Fitr will receive the status of state religious holidays.

The President stressed that the representatives of the Crimean Tatar people should be represented at the highest diplomatic level. Therefore, the President approved the candidacy of Emine Dzhaparova for the post of First Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs.

In order to resolve the problematic issues of the Crimean Tatar people, Volodymyr Zelenskyy initiated the creation of a working group in the Office of the President, which will include Crimean Tatars.

"For this working group to give us proposals, for us to exchange these proposals and move very quickly," the President said.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy noted that following the agreements with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, 500 apartments for IDPs from Crimea will be built in the Kherson region. The President assured that there are no problems with land allocation and construction of apartments. The Head of the Kherson regional state administration will ensure the implementation of this order. Volodymyr Zelenskyy suggested discussing the details on the allocation of housing for Crimean Tatars in the working group.

In addition, a new large mosque is planned to be built in Kyiv. The President stressed that he is waiting for the project of this mosque from the Crimean Tatars and is ready to support it.

A large hub will also be built on the border of the Kherson region and the Autonomous Republic of Crimea.

"So that those people, who temporarily live in the temporarily occupied territory of Crimea, can see how we treat the Crimean people, the Crimean Tatars. For them to come and see a really different look, a "showcase" of our country," Volodymyr Zelenskyy emphasized.

The President stressed that the working group should consider not only legal, but also economic issues of Crimean Tatars.

Leader of the Crimean Tatar people Mustafa Dzhemilev thanked the President for honoring the memory of the victims of deportation.

"We are very grateful that today the 76th anniversary is celebrated at such a level, installations with the Crimean Tatar flag on the premises of the Cabinet of Ministers and today, I know, they will be seen on the building of the President's Office. Thank you for your statements published today, for the order of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. We hope that the topic of Crimea, the topic of returning to Ukraine and restoring the territorial integrity of Ukraine will never disappear from the agenda of the leadership of our state," Mustafa Dzhemilev said.

The leader of the Crimean Tatar people also supported the President's decision to establish a working group to deal with the problems of the Crimean Tatars.

18/05/2020

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