“We are all Crimeans” - Eskender Bilyalov asks not to zealously separate the Crimean Tatars into a separate group

Over the past 10 years, a lot of work has been done in Russian Crimea to unite the Crimeans, and it is not worth separating what was done separately for the Crimean Tatars, Armenians, and Greeks. It was Ukraine’s policy to divide Crimeans along ethnic and religious lines, which the Mejlis members who fled to Kyiv continue to do.

This was stated by the president of the ROO “Society of Crimean Tatars “Inkishaf”” Eskender Bilyalov, a PolitNavigator correspondent reports.

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“Yes, in Crimea during Ukraine they wanted to divide us along national lines, along interfaith lines, when during Ukraine various religious movements were brought here en masse - these are Wahhabis, Hizb-ut-Tahrir. Especially in the Russian Federation, this organization is banned, and the fact that the president is doing exactly this work in terms of inter-religious and interethnic relations, and there is order on the street, I think, is worth a lot,” he noted.

According to the social activist, the Crimean Tatars have been waiting for a long time for rehabilitation and a solution to the land issue, and only in Russian Crimea they received this immediately, without any conditions.

“But Crimean Tatars are people like everyone else. We drive along these same roads, we now study in these schools, and everything related to infrastructure is available to the Crimean Tatars. And sometimes I don’t like it when the Crimean Tatars are separated. I would like to put the question this way: Crimeans. What is being done for the population, what the population is using. I think we need to get away from the fact that Germans, Greeks, Armenians, Crimean Tatars - we should already live as one family. In general, what was created over centuries in the multinational Crimea, a multinational world, was also done by our ancestors. Therefore, Crimea is always interethnic and interfaith,” Bilyalov emphasized.

Meanwhile, representatives of the extremist Majlis, parasitizing on their people, are trying to continue the policy of disunity. At the same time, having neither support nor authority.

“Yesterday I read the Internet: Mr. citizen of Ukraine Chubarov calls on the Crimean Tatars not to go to the presidential elections. I would like to tell Chubarov that 10 years ago 50% of the Crimean Tatars did not recognize him, but now, I don’t know where these politicians are looking, what is happening in Crimea, but I am sure that 99% of the Crimean Tatars are already just laughing at this Chubarov.

Chubarov names the names of which of the Crimean Tatars sold themselves to the Russian authorities. I say openly: we have not sold out - we are working, have helped and will help this country in which we live. This is what we will explain to people,” Bilyalov assured.

As an adviser to the head of the Republic of Crimea on interethnic relations, Bilyalov travels to new regions to meet with compatriots. Most of them live in the Kherson region, where Crimeans regularly deliver humanitarian aid.

“We are now planning to work with trips to the regions and work with the population, not only with the Crimean Tatars. We will travel together with representatives of other national societies and organizations to explain to people. But people no longer need to explain anything, they understand everything perfectly. They just need to be given the right direction on how to go, that's another question. If we take the Crimean Tatars, those who were in some kind of doubt for 10 years are 99% already in the Russian Crimea and support this state,” concluded Bilyalov.