In August 28-30 2018 the American diplomats have been visiting Kherson City and the districts, adjacent to the temporarily occupied Crimea. Within the framework of their visit, the diplomats met with the Head of the Kherson State Administration Andriy Gordejev, representative of Mejlis Crimean Tatar People in Kherson region Abmedgit Suleimanov and the head of the social formation “Asker” Lenur Islyamov and with other governmental authorities and civil representatives.
In August 30 the Permanent Representative of the President of Ukraine in ARC Borys Babin, his First Deputy Izet Gdanov held a working meeting with the delegation of the USA Embassy – the Second Secretary of Political Department Anton Cooper and the official of the Embassy Tetyana Stechuk.
The meeting was held under the participation of the officials of the Mission and representatives of four Higher Educational Establishments of Kherson, responsible for the implementation of the program “Crimea – Ukraine”. During the meeting the discussion concerned a great range of issues, related to the temporarily occupied territory and algorithm of their decision beginning from the legislative amendments at all levels to resolving of specific life situations faced by the citizens of Ukraine, residing in Crimea. Particularly the discussed challenges concerned the crossing of the administrative line with the occupied Crimea by the children in the context of prevention of kidnapping or illegal removal of the children against the will of one of the parents.
The participants of the meeting discussed the pressure exerted on the economy of the country by the aggressor-state through its illegal activity in the Azov Sea where under the guise of “navigation security” the punishment bodies of the aggressor-state detain the vessels for illegal inspection to be done before and after their visits to the Ukrainian maritime trade ports and during their crossing of the Kerch Strait. Such illegal actions cause considerable expenditures for the ship-owners due to delayed transit periods and influence on the income for the implementation of export transactions. The officials of the Mission expressed the position regarding the need to develop the amendments to the legislation of Ukraine which regulate common activity in the Azov Sea with Russia.
The situation of hydrocarbons illegally extracted by the occupier from continental shelf of Ukraine in the Black Sea, militarization of “Chornomornaftogas” infrastructure on the shelf by the by the Black Sea Fleet of the Armed Forces of Russia was discussed. Such illegal activity causes significant danger for the navigation security in the Black Sea trade ports of Ukraine. However, complete disregard of international law by the Russian occupier authorities to realize their own political aspirations was mentioned in the context of detention of the Ukrainian fishing motorboat ЯМК-0041, engaged in fishing in the Black Sea. The aspects of illegal three month period detention of its crew members as hostages in the temporarily occupied Crimea and at the same time the detention of the citizens of Ukraine, the crew members of the arrested Ukrainian vessel “Nord” like hostages by the Russian authorities in the territory of Russian Embassy in Kyiv was concerned.
The problematic aspects of water supply to Crimea were emphasized, in particular on the abuse of artesian water for technological needs of chemical industry and the measures taken by the Mission to prevent the attempts of the occupying authorities to establish water supply via the Northern-Crimean Channel and transfer of certain category of goods, particularly delivery raw-materials for the Crimean industrial enterprises across the administrative boundary line with mainland of Ukraine.
Regarding the issues of entrance the Higher Educational Establishments of Ukraine by the Crimean residents, the responsible for the implementation of the educational program “Crimea – Ukraine” secretaries of four Kherson universities emphasized that the main peculiarity of the current entrance campaign via the centers was a great number of applications for entry submitted by the residents of Crimea. A great rate of the students enrolled to the universities are those who changed the illegal educational establishments in Crimea for education in the mainland of Ukraine.
Besides the representatives of the universities pointed out that a number of the Crimean residents wishing to enter the Higher Educational Establishments after they get junior secondary education in Kherson region increased. The representatives of the educational centers pointed out the coherent collaboration between the Mission of the President of Ukraine and other governmental authorities in meeting the challenges during the entrance campaign.
The leadership of the Mission highlighted the entrance campaign held by the universities this year within the program ““Crimea – Ukraine” where the applicants for entry from the temporarily occupied territory were well informed about the higher educational establishments of other regions of Ukraine. As the result a great number of students entered the universities of Kyiv, Lviv and Odessa regions. However the need to impose sanctions against the Russian universities, that provides illegally educational services in the temporarily occupied territory of Ukraine in Crimea by using the stolen property of Ukraine. It was one more stated that Ukraine and other civilized countries of the world will never recognize the educational certificates issued by the Rusian educational establishments in the occupied peninsula.
The meeting resulted on agreement of further collaboration among the Mission and the Embassy on implosions of restricting measures against the activity of the state – aggressor in Crimea.
In the framework of the meeting the representatives of the U.S. Embassy were able to visit the office of the State Enterprise “Document” and to witness the European service level of administrative services provided to the citizens of the temporarily occupied Crimea.
During the visit the American diplomats to the checkpoint “Kalanchak” the aspects of urgent measures for the check points to be equipped (light, sheds, pedestrian ways) were highlighted also as the previous aid, provided by the UNHCR as well as the prospects of implementation of the decision of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine on additional funding for the equipment of the checkpoints were discussed. The position of the Mission in the context of the above mentioned issues and establishment of legal passenger transportation was emphasized.
At the meeting with the authorities of Kalanchak Settlement Council the prospects of equipment of the Administrative Service Center were discussed. This center is supposed to be a unit of the system of administrative services on certification providing to the Crimean residents. American diplomats visited premises, prepared for the center and discussed the ways of involving funds for purchasing the equipment, particularly on preliminary agreements with the US AID office in Ukraine.