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Crimea and Sevastopol

Parliamentarians will ensure guarantees to Crimean Tatars in case of accession to Russia

Speaker of the State Duma says it is important that all residents of Crimea, all nationalities living on the peninsula, including Crimean Tatars, will take part in self-determination processes

Crimean Tatars protesting in Kiev EPA/SERGEY DOLZHENKO

Crimean Tatars protesting in Kiev

© EPA/SERGEY DOLZHENKO

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Lower house of Russian parliament forms observation mission at referendum in Crimea

MOSCOW, March 12. /ITAR-TASS/. If Crimea accedes to Russia, parliamentarians will support guarantees to Crimean Tatars, speaker of the State Duma, lower house of Russia’s parliament, Sergei Naryshkin said.

“If Crimean residents vote for the accession to Russia at a referendum, State Duma deputies will support and ensure guarantees to the Crimean Tatar people,” Naryshkin said.

“It is important that all residents of Crimea, all nationalities living on the peninsula, including Crimean Tatars, will take part in self-determination processes,” the Duma speaker said.

Crimean Tatars came through many trials. “Today there are chances to ensure inter-ethnic peace and accord, realize economic, social and political rights of Crimean Tatars in equality with other peoples living in the republic,” Naryshkin said.

“State Duma deputies laud the Crimean parliament’s resolution on guarantees and rights of Crimean Tatars. We can say in the past 70 years a document, which contains the serious obligations towards Crimean Tatars, was approved,” the Russian lawmaker said.

The resolution says the new Constitution of the Republic of Crimea will envision the following guarantees; giving the Crimean Tatar language the status of official language together with Russian and Ukrainian, representation of Crimean Tatars in district and town councils and other bodies, and recognition of national self-rule bodies of Crimean Tatars - Kurultai [the national congress] and the bodies it forms.

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Referendum in Crimea

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