Madam Chairperson,

The delegation of Ukraine joins others in welcoming OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities, H.E. Ambassador Kairat Abdrakhmanov to the Permanent Council and thanks H.E. for the presented comprehensive report.

Dear High Commissioner,

Ukraine strongly supports the OSCE High Commissioner’s independent mandate and highly values close cooperation established with the HCNM Office as well as advice and expertise you provide, as per your mandate, to Ukrainian authorities on national minorities issues.

We welcome your recent visit to Ukraine and we are pleased that you noted considerable progress on the work on a bill on national minorities that is currently underway.

Among most recent important steps undertaken by the Government of Ukraine I also wish to mention the adoption in July 2021 of the law “On Indigenous Peoples of Ukraine” that guarantees their cultural, educational, linguistic and information rights, established by the international law and envisaged by the Constitution and laws of Ukraine.

Dear High Commissioner,

We have carefully studied your report. We took note of your visit to Russia. Against the backdrop of isolation and marginalization of the national minorities and indigenous peoples residing in Russia, the need to genuinely address critical situation with the national minorities in the Russian Federation is long overdue.

We are alarmed over the repressive practices and discrimination by the Russian authorities against Ukrainians and Ukrainian NGOs in Russia, entailing deliberate suppression of the Ukrainian culture and identity.

Just to name a few examples: the Federal National-Cultural Autonomy of Ukrainians of Russia as well as the Association of Ukrainians of Russia and the Omsk Regional NGO «Siberian Center of Ukrainian Culture «Siryj Klyn» were banned; the World Congress of Ukrainians was labelled as an «undesirable organization» and the Library of Ukrainian Literature in Moscow has been defunct; the decision of the Artemovsk City Court of the Primorsky Krai to liquidate the autonomous non-profit organization «Far Eastern Ukrainian Spiritual, Cultural and Educational Center «Prosvita».

As the relevant comment of the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry states, all these examples illustrate a real «Russian hospitality» towards those citizens of other countries, with whom the Russian authorities continue to so desperately prove their affinity while encouraging them to acquire Russian citizenship.

We count on the HCNM’s appropriate reaction to the violations of the rights and freedoms of persons belonging to Ukrainian national minority and persecution of Ukrainian civil society organizations in Russia.

Dear High Commissioner,

As you are aware, grave human rights violations and discrimination are faced by the Crimean Tatars and ethnic Ukrainians in the temporarily occupied Crimea.

Ukraine strongly condemns the selective procedure to obtain Russian citizenship coupled with forced passportization and conscription, as well as imposition by Russia of severe restriction on education and language in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine.

Illegal methods of investigation, politically motivated detentions, inhuman and degrading treatment, such as punitive psychiatry and other tortures, are applied to Crimeans who oppose the occupation.

The detention of Nariman Dzhelyal, First Deputy Chairman of the Crimean Tatar Mejlis, who is accused on trumped-up charges of sabotage and faces up to 15 years in prison is yet another punitive raid against the Crimean Tatar people, a retaliation for their participation in the Crimea Platform Summit.

Among the most recent cases, I wish to mention that on 25 October, 21 Crimean Tatars, including journalists, were detained while standing outside the premises of so-called military court in Simferopol. Among the detained was also lawyer Edem Semedliaiev. Currently, he remains one of few lawyers who continue to defend political detainees in the occupation courts.

Moreover, on 29 October, the Southern District Military Court of the Russian Federation decided to convict four citizens of Ukraine Seitumer Seitumerov, Osman Seitumerov, Rustem Seitmetemov and Amet Suleymanov in the so-called "Third Bakhchisaray Hizb ut-Tahrir Group" case.

We count on your active involvement in facilitating the immediate release of all illegally detained Ukrainian citizens, as well as ensuring adequate reaction, as OSCE conflict prevention tool, to numerous systemic violations committed by the occupation administration in Crimea.

Madam Chairperson,

In conclusion I would like to reaffirm that Ukraine stands ready for further constructive cooperation and open dialogue on the issues related to national minorities and once again thank the High Commissioner and his Office for their dedicated work and wish them all the best in their future important endeavors.

I thank you, Madam Chairperson.