The Permanent Representative of the President of Ukraine in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea Tamila Tasheva met with Žygimantas Pavilionis, Chairman of the Seimas Committee on Foreign Affairs, and Petro Beshta, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Ukraine to the Republic of Lithuania, in Vilnius. During the meeting, Tamila Tasheva expressed her gratitude to Lithuania for supporting Ukraine, especially in the military aspect. The Permanent Representative also emphasized that due to historical circumstances, Lithuania understands the issue of Crimea quite well, knows a lot about the indigenous peoples of Ukraine, and understands why Ukraine cannot and should not compromise on Crimea.

Tamila Tasheva underlined that Russia’s armed aggression against Ukraine began with the occupation of Crimea 10 years ago, after which Crimea turned into a place of repression against Ukrainian citizens, a large military base, and a springboard for a full-scale invasion of the mainland of Ukraine. The Permanent Representative also shared the latest information on the situation of Crimean Tatars, who are systematically subjected to illegal searches, detentions, and persecution on ethnic and religious grounds. The situation of Crimean political prisoners, who are subjected to physical and mental torture in Russian prisons, was also discussed.

Tamila Tasheva also stressed the achievements of the Mission of the President of Ukraine in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea on Reintegration Policies and emphasized several strategic documents, such as the Strategy for Economic Recovery of Crimea, the Strategy for Cognitive De-occupation of Crimea. In addition, the Permanent Representative emphasized the importance of academic programs and the study of the history of Crimea, support for the indigenous peoples of Ukraine, and the development of potential joint projects between Ukraine and Lithuania.