He noted that the Kherson office of the Mission will continue its work protecting the Crimeans’ rights. In particular it will promote the resolving of issues on obtaining of documents, temporarily housing, entering the Ukrainian higher educational establishments. At the same time the other office, located in the capital, is necessary for free-flowing communication with the central executive authorities, international organizations and foreign embassies.

“We will provide our activity in two cities to ensure effective assistance to our citizens, residing in the temporarily occupied territory and at the same time to keep free-flowing communication with central executive authorities, in other words, always be at the center of events to put the Crimean issues on the national agenda”, Anton Korynevych explained in the cause of the briefing, held at the Presidential Office.

He said that the Decree of the Head of the State dated 17 October on the Mission of the President of Ukraine in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea improves significantly the ability of this institution to communicate with the central executive authorities.

“Our main objective is to enhance the Mission’s capacity, making it a strong state institution which effects and participates in resolving of issues regarding Crimea. Certainly it is not an end in itself. The aim is protection of our citizens and de-occupation of Crimea and reintegration of the temporarily occupied territories”, the Permanent Representative of the President of Ukraine in the AR of Crimea pointed out.

Anton Korynevych expected that a new team could achieve great results in protection of Ukrainian citizens and regaining control of the temporarily occupied territories.

The First Deputy Permanent Representative of the President of Ukraine in the AR of Crimea Darya Svyrydova noted that the strategic task of the state body is an active part in development of the consent on de-occupation of the peninsula, its reintegration, including maintaining communication with the inhabitants of Crimea and creation of the national concept of transitional justice.

According to Darya Svyrydova, the Mission will continue monitoring the situation with human rights in the occupied Crimea, analyzing necessary solutions for the state to be made, including legislative initiatives in order to prevent the violation of our citizens’ rights in the occupied territory.

For resolving these tactical challenges, the Mission will establish communication with the central executive authorities. Darya Svyrydova noted that the Mission will also focus on problems, related to the equipment of the check-points on the administrative boundary line with the occupied peninsula. According to her, many citizens have so far complained about the quality of premises of the checkpoints and crossing conditions.

“Now improving of the checkpoints is ongoing which include sanitary and hygienic facilities, transport links. Today we are going to Kherson region, where together with the Presidential Office, regional administration we will examine the updated checkpoints, which are temporal just like the occupation, but they should be comfortable and safe as for the people which work there so for the thousands ones crossing the ABL every day”, she noted.

In addition, among the challenges of the Mission, Darya Svyrydova stressed on the establishment of collaboration with the law enforcement agencies, which document the human rights violation in the occupied Crimea. “Our principled stand is that all these cases should be documented and investigated properly at the national level. It  should be the purpose of the authorities as well. All these facts should be given due legal assessment”, she concluded.

The Deputy Permanent Representative of the President of Ukraine in the AR of Crimea, Tamila Tasheva, in turn, emphasized the importance of international advocacy with respect to AR of Crimea. Consequently, the Mission will prepare the informational and analytical documents, reflecting the situation in the peninsula. The authorities can subsequently use these documents.

“It is very important for us to provide our State’s officials with the certain recommendations when they are going to participate at the international platforms such as Council of Europe, United Nations”, Tamila Tasheva said.