On 26 February, on the Day of Resistance to the Occupation of Crimea and Sevastopol, the forum ‘11 Years of War. The starting point: Crimea’
The participants were greeted by the Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Ruslan Stefanchuk, Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Oleksandr Mischenko and MEP Michael Galera.
Oleksiy Ryabikin, Deputy Minister of Communities and Territories Development, took part in the discussion panel ‘Mechanisms for overcoming the consequences of the occupation of Crimea: what has already been done and what needs to be done?’. He noted that the reintegration of Crimea requires a comprehensive approach and the development of appropriate policies, in particular, in the areas of state and local government.
‘The only possible scenario is the full return of Crimea to Ukrainian control. The Ministry of Development has recently received new powers to reintegrate the temporarily occupied and de-occupied territories, and we are currently working on the legal framework for the return of Crimea to the Ukrainian legal, economic, social and cultural space. We are working with the Representative Office of the President of Ukraine in Crimea to develop strategic documents for the de-occupied territories.
Among the important aspects of Crimea’s reintegration is the process of decentralisation and the formation of capable communities, which did not take place on the peninsula due to the occupation. As well as addressing the issues of organisation of state power and local self-government that will become relevant during de-occupation.’
Oleksiy Ryabikin also stressed the importance of taking concrete measures to restore control and organise state power in the de-occupied territories.
‘We have already adopted regulatory documents and legislative frameworks that allow us to start implementing priority measures. This includes ensuring security, demining the territories, and providing the necessary services to citizens, as was the case during the de-occupation of Kharkiv, Kherson and other territories. However, for Crimea, these steps should be adapted to take into account the much longer duration of the occupation period,’ he stressed.
Concluding his speech, Oleksiy Ryabikin invited interested stakeholders to join the development of policies and strategies for the reintegration of the temporarily occupied territories.
The forum ‘11 Years of War. The starting point: Crimea’ was organised by the Mission of the President of Ukraine in the AR of Crimea jointly with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine and the Crimean Platform Expert Network and partners.
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