Crimean news 67.
(Mass
Media survey for 17-22 July 2000).
All the material is given in an abridged form.
Christian children fund and Mejlis will collaborate
In Uzbekistan foreign passport of the citizen of Ukraine costs 35000
soums*.
Hadji* Emir effendi: "All religions must be equal".
They have discussed the plan on solving the problem.
Problems of refugees and repatriates are considered at the seminar.
Swiss businessmen are coming to Crimea in September.
Politics.
Christian children fund and Mejlis will collaborate.
On July 14, the meeting of
Christian children fund director (CCD, Geneva) Muriel Chatman, director of
programs in Eastern Europe CCD Sergey Tsigankov, university professor of Sidit
city (Croatia) Nives Iveliya, CCD programs coordinator (Kyiv) Irina Zvereva was
held in the office of Mejlis of Crimean Tatar people.
First of all, the meeting participants
were introduced with activity of Christian children fund. It was emphasized
that meetings with Mejlis representatives, different funds and non-governmental
organizations in Crimea had an introductory meaning. Basing on their analysis,
they will develop some CCD programs for implementing in Crimea. They gave an
example of CCD collaboration with non-governmental organizations in Albany,
where they developed programs of upbringing social officials in the environment
of repatriates, programs of parental care. Moreover, they provide psychological
help to refugees and emigrants.
Guests were introduced with the
activity of Mejlis, political and economical situation in Crimea. At the end,
they expressed their mutual consent on collaboration.
"Avdet", ("Returning"), #14
(248), 18 July 2000, p.1.
In Uzbekistan foreign passport of the citizen of Ukraine costs 35000
soums*.
Representative of Mejlis of the
Crimean Tatar people in Uzbekistan, Ali Khamzin, visited the embassy of
Ukraine. The meetings were basically devoted to the problem of paying state
duty for the passport of a citizen of Ukraine for living abroad. The Crimean
Tatars, who have corroborated of their belonging to the Ukrainian citizenship,
continue getting these passports. The value of state duty summed up with consul
duty equals 35000 soums. Taking into consideration that the minimal salary in
Uzbekistan is 1750 soums, the passport of a citizen of Ukraine is practically
accessible to no one.
"Avdet" ("Returning"), #14
(248), 18 July 2000, p.1.
Our
information: *Soum is a
national monetary unit of Uzbekistan.
Our commentaries: Most Crimean Tatars,
living in Uzbekistan have used the Uzbekistan-and-Ukrainian Agreement about the
simplified procedure of giving up the citizenship of Uzbekistan and getting the
Ukrainian one, which expired on 31 December 1999. However, due to some reasons,
many of them still can not return to Crimea and are compelled to stay in
Uzbekistan. In result, they have a lot of problems such as drawing up a foreign
passport for living in Ukraine and many other things, which they can not afford
due to their extremely hard socio-economic condition.
Confessional politics.
Hadji* Emir effendi: "All religions must be equal".
Moslem ecclesiastic
administration of Crimea (MEAC) stated that it had temporarily stopped its
activity in confessional union of Crimea -
"World is a gift of God". This decision was caused by a
feigned aggravation of confessional relations between citizens of Ukraine
belonging to different faiths. The aggravation is caused by the Crimean
eparchy.
"Crimean dwellers have
recently started noticing in some cities of Crimea some monuments in the form
of one of the Orthodox branches of Christianity - patriarchy cross, and boards
on roads saying: "Crimea is the cradle of Orthodox". They are
preparing for construction of synod Orthodox Church of Moscow patriarchy on the
central square of Simferopol. The initiator of these actions is archbishop of
Simferopol and Crimea Lazar**",- says the statement.
MEAC demanded that this unlawful
mounting of religious monuments and boards on the territory of Ukraine should
be stopped. They also demanded that the monuments and boards that had been
mounted should be dismantled and the state power should take some extreme
measures on preventing misbalance in his religious policy.
As the press-center of Simferopol
and Crimea eparchy informs, mounting of "transparencies with ecclesiastic
contents" is implemented under the program of celebrating the 2000th
anniversary of Christ's Birth by the blessing of archbishop of Simferopol and
Crimea, Lazar. Unusual form of missioner activity is directed to
"ecclesiastic-and-moral upbringing of population and especially the
youth".
Mufti*** of the Crimean Moslems,
Hadji Emirali-efendi comments the situation as follows:
The statement, adopted by the
Ecclesiastic administration of Crimean Moslems reflects the general mood of the
Crimean Tatar people. We adopted this statement after numerous addresses of
Moslems, living in Crimea, who are indignant at unlawful mounting of Christian
symbolic beyond the territory of Christian religious construction. Unconsidered
decision of the archbishop of Simferopol and Crimea, Lazar, can lead to
unpredictable consequences. Being the chairman of confessional union "World
is a gift of God", the patriarch didn't say a single world on any sittings
of the union that he intended to mount crosses and boards everywhere in Crimea
in honor of the 2000th Christ's Birth. What was this organization created for
if they take into consideration the interests of only Christian confession?
Encouraging the construction of
orthodox churches, Crimean leadership helps the process of a complete
destroying of Moslem memorials of history and architecture. For instance, in
Kirovskiy district****, district public prosecutor made a decision to stop
construction of mosque, referring to the lack of money for that purpose. There
were more than 1500 mosques in Crimea before the deportation*****. Today there
are no more than 50 mosques in Crimea, which doesn't satisfy needs of
believers.
The Crimean Tatars try to restore
their religious establishments using their own money. They get a great deal of
help from charity funds located in the counties of Arabian Peninsula and
Turkey. As far as the state is concerned, it doesn't help at all. On the
contrary it even prevents this process. Crimean Moslems have been unable to get
a land plot for constructing a synod mosque for one year. They are compelled to
conduct public prayers in the Culture Houses and pay for their rents. We need a
synod mosque but we have received answers that there was no free land for that
purpose.
Most ancient mosques are in a
very bad condition and are used on some other purpose. The territory of
Zyndjirli Medrese******, which is the memorial of 15th century architecture is
used as psycho neurological dispensers..."
Avdet "("Returning"), #14 (248),
18 July 2000, p.2.
Our information: *Hadji is a Moslem person, who has made
pilgrimage to Mecca.
**Simferopol and Crimea Lazar is the head of
Crimea orthodox Christians.
***Mufti is the Crimean head of Moslems.
****One of the districts in Crimea.
*****In 1994 Crimean Tatars were deported from
the Crimea.
******Zydjirli Medrese is a former ancient
educational establishment of Crimea.
Social sphere.
They have discussed the plan on solving the problem.
The plan of measurements on
solving Crimean Tatars' problems was discussed at the meeting of a Regular
Representative of the President in Crimea Anatoliy Korneyschuk with the council
of the Crimean Tatar people's representatives at the President's
administration.
Proposed plan includes actions on
solving Crimean Tatars' problems in social and humanitarian sphere and also in
problems dealing with health resort, education and satisfying needs of land
plots.
Interfax-Ukraine, "Krimskiye Izvestiya", #132 (2136), 21 July
2000, p.2.
Problems of refugees and repatriates are considered at the seminar.
In the first decade of July they
held a seminar on the problems of socio-psychological work with repatriates,
refugees and migrants. Christian children fund was the seminar organizer.
"The place of seminar is not
casual, -says the coordinator of the program of Christian children fund, Irina
Zvereva. - Because it is here that mass migration processes concerned with returning
of deported peoples to their homeland is happening. Refugees from dangerous
countries also find shelter here". The seminar purpose was to develop the
most suitable model of working with repatriates and refugees. The most
important problems, discussed at the seminar were the problems of legislative
character, touching refugees, repatriates, migrants and also the forms of
providing social, psychological and consultative help to this category of
citizens.
Repatriates, refugees, migrants
come across not only economic difficulties but also unfriendly treatment and
sometimes aggression from neighborhood. However, according to the professor of
sociology Nikolay Shulga's words, in Ukraine conflicts between repatriates and
power happen more often than with local population.
Esma Asanova, "Avdet",
("Returning"), #14 (248), 18 July 2000, p.2.
Economics.
Swiss businessmen are coming to Crimea in September.
The visit of the first Vice
President of Council of Europe, Parliament Assembly member, deputy of Swiss parliament,
Ernst Muleman is devoted to preparing the visit of Swiss politicians and
businessmen for studying investment opportunities in Crimea.
He informed that in October they
would discuss opportunities to make investment in Ukraine. The main sphere of investment
in Crimea will probably be tourism. He believes that Western Europe has to
change its mentality on Ukraine and that is why he arrived in Crimea.
Interfax-Ukraine, "Krimskiye
Izvestiya", #132 (2136), 21 July 2000, p.3.