On October 22, 2018 the Permanent Representative of the President of Ukraine in ARC Borys Babin and the Head of the Department of International Connections of the Mission Yevhen Samukha participated at the round table meeting “Returning of Crimea: the vision of Ukrainians”, held in the Ukrainian Independent Information Agency “Ukrinform”. At the round table, the results of nation –wide public opinion survey, held from 16 till 22 August 2018 by Ilko Kucheryva “Democratic Initiatives” Foundation together with the Razumkov Centre Sociological Service were presented.

The round table organizer was Ilko Kucheryv “Democratic Initiatives” Foundation with the support of the Public Council of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine and the Expert Council of the Mission of the President of Ukraine in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea. Among of the participants of the event were the People’s Deputy Refat Chubarov, the Head of Mejlis of Crimean Tatars People, the First Deputy Minister of Information Policy of Ukraine Emine Dzhaparova, the Scientific Director of Ilko Kucheryva “Democratic Initiatives” Foundation Oleksiy Garan, representatives of civil society associations and experts.

Basing on the results of nation-wide public opinion survey, the participants discussed the public need to return the annexed Crimea to Ukraine, particularly on the possible sceneries of the conflict that would develop around the occupied Crimea in future, the necessary steps and action of Ukraine and its international partners to be made to return the territory of autonomy as soon as possible as well as the assessment of future of Crimea and the prospects of de-occupation and re-integration of the peninsula into Ukraine , done by the citizens of Ukraine.

Particularly, Emine Dzhaparova emphasized the Strategy of Informational Re-integration of the peninsula, approved by the regulation of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine and Refat Chubarov informed about the results of working group activity within the Constitutional Commission.

Taking into account the results of nation-wide public opinion survey, Borys Babin draw attention to the issues, which impact negatively on the public opinion of Ukrainians, including the residents of the occupied Crimea. In particular, he stressed on the need to cancel the legislation on free economic zone in Crimea that enables a big business to be integrated into the occupied area, to resolve the logistic challenges of transportation to the administrative boundary line for Crimeans, including the staff matters of the authorized bodies, which exercise their powers, regarding the temporarily occupied territory. The Permanent Representative pointed out the importance of criminal persecution of collaborators from the peninsula and summed up the current activity of the Mission in de-occupation of Crimea.