Possible Name Change for Crimea Kyiv’s Response to Ethnic Claims in Western Ukraine, Abulayeva Says

Paul Goble

            Staunton, November 3 – A draft law that would label Crimea not “the Crimean Tatar Autonomous Republic” but rather “the Crimean Tatar Autonomy,” underscoring that the Crimean Tatars are an indigenous people of Ukraine, is Kyiv’s response to Hungarian and Romanian claims in Western Ukraine, Gulnara Abdulayeva says.

            The Kyiv historian says that originally officials had planned to refer to the autonomous republic, but a decision to change the title of the law and thus of the occupied peninsula reflects other considerations (apostrophe.ua/article/politics/2017-11-02/reyting-putina-v-kryimu-upal-lyudi-vspominayut-kak-horosho-jili-v-ukraine---jurnalistka/15295 and

turantoday.com/2017/11/crimea-ukraine-autonomy.html).

            Crimean autonomy has already been declared, she says, “and we know how all this ended. Today, Russia has claims on Crimea even though it does not have any relationship to Crimea whatsoever.  [But] Crimea is at the same time connected with the mainland of Ukrinae, and without Ukraine, Crimea can’t live.”

            What remains an open question, Abdulayeva continues, is whether the measures will garner the 300 votes that it needs for passage.  But however that may be, she says, “the Crimean Tatars never will want any separation from Ukraine, as we unfortunately observe in the Transcarpathian Oblast with the Hungarians and Romanians.”

            She argues that the Hungarians and Romanians cannot aspir to separate from Ukraine for one very simple reason: they already have their own ethnic statehood. But the Crimean Tatars intend to realize their right to self-determination only within the Ukrainian state” becauase “they are an indigenous people of Ukraine and Crimea.”