Press release, 12 April 2016
Photos of the Office of the Seimas (author Olga Posaškova)
On 12 April 2016, Loreta Graužinienė, Speaker of the Seimas, received representatives of the World Congress of Crimean Tatars. She expressed Lithuania’s firm support to Crimean Tatars and to their events held in Lithuania. The Speaker also welcomed the adoption by the Seimas of the Resolution on the Human Rights Situation, in Particular of the Crimean Tatars, in Crimea Occupied by the Russian Federation.
“Lithuanian parliamentarians reaffirmed once again that they continued to pursue the policy of non-recognition of the annexation of Crimea and expressed their concern regarding the militarisation of the Crimean peninsula by the Russian Federation; they also strongly condemned serious systematic violations of human rights in Crimea and the actions of the Russian Federation in disturbing and restricting the work of the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar People as the supreme executive and representative institution,” the Speaker of the Seimas said.
When addressing Mustafa Dhzemilev, former Chairman of the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar People and Member of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine; and Refat Chubarov, Chairman of the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar People, President of the World Congress of Crimean Tatars and Member of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine; the Speaker of the Seimas recalled their previous meeting in the Supreme Rada of Ukraine. “Your stories have greatly impressed both me and my colleagues, Speakers of the Nordic and Baltic national parliaments, and left us with a feeling of major concern about the situation of Tatars in Crimea,” Ms Graužinienė underlined.
The Speaker stressed that Lithuanians had a strong respect for Tatars and that the Lithuanian and Tartar nations co-existed in peace for many centuries; therefore, we found it important to support our friends through this particularly difficult time. “Lithuania will always be your ally, your true friend and helper in your fight. I am convinced that one day we will be able to come to free Crimea, to the beautiful city of Bakhchysarai, which will host the World Congress of Crimean Tatars,” Ms Graužinienė said.
Moreover, the Speaker of the Seimas expressed her gratitude to Prof. Adas Jakubauskas, Chair of the Union of the Communities of Lithuanian Tatars, for the initiative to organise an international conference on Crimean Tatars and a meeting of the Executive Committee of the World Congress of Crimean Tatars in the Seimas on 11–12 April 2016.
Rosvaldas Gorbačiovas, Senior Adviser to the Speaker of the Seimas, tel. +370 5 239 6005, mob. +370 698 42 071, e-mail: [email protected]
