Konstantin Tolkachev delivered speech in defense of Crimean inhabitants at Council of Europe

UFA, 5 April 2019. /Bashinform News Agency/ translated by Tatiana Aksyutina/. The Chairman of the State Assembly of Bashkortostan Konstantin Tolkachev spoke in defense of the rights of the Crimean inhabitants at the 36th plenary session of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe. This issue was addressed by the Speaker of the Parliament of Bashkortostan to the Secretary General of the Council of Europe Thorbjørn Jagland.

“It relates to infringement of the rights of Crimeans in European countries while visas obtaining and a number of other issues that are widely known,” said Konstantin Tolkachev. “Our European partners often make politicized decisions in matters related to Crimea, overlooking the fact that the inhabitants of Crimea are full citizens of Russia and members of the international community. In fact, we are faced with the fact of discrimination against the inhabitants of the whole region and the violation of one of the fundamental human rights - the right to freedom of movement. ”

Konstantin Tolkachev stressed that the problem of infringement of the Crimeans rights was throughout Europe, but it was most acutely observed in the Baltic countries and Ukraine.

“There is an unlawful attitude towards the inhabitants of the Crimea as people without citizenship. In practice, this turns into the fact that many of them are deprived of the opportunity to visit their relatives, look after the graves of loved ones abroad, and go on holidays,” explained Konstantin Tolkachev. “The problem at the same time is not only in the position of the Ukrainian authorities but also of Western European countries, which visa centers refuse to accept documents of the Crimean residents and send them to Kiev.”

Thorbjørn Jagland went away from answering the question, indicating only his position on relations with Russia.

“In his speech, the Secretary General of the Council of Europe noted that they could not lose Russia and 140 million of its inhabitants, as it could be the beginning of the gradual disintegration of the entire system,” said Konstantin Tolkachev. “And the task that they set for themselves is to return our country to PACE, which Russia left three years ago after depriving our delegation of the right to vote and a number of powers”.