Tamila Tasheva
Permanent Representative of the President of Ukraine in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea
DOI:
Abstract. The article analyses the functioning of the Crimea Platform from the first inaugural Summit initiated by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in 2021 to the present day. It is noted that the value of the Crimea Platform was that this initiative brought the issue of Crimea to the current political agenda. It turned out that this was precisely the step that moscow feared. The author casts light onto the fact that since its launch, the Crimea Platform has grown into a whole ecosystem combining different perspectives, geography and levels. Every year, the list of events and initiatives within the framework of the Crimea Platform is growing, and all these efforts are expected to contribute to the liberation of Crimea.
The author offers five key arguments in favour of the assertion that the Crimea Platform is an effective tool, namely 1. The Crimea Platform returns Crimea to the current international agenda and does not allow to ‘forget’ about the annexation of the peninsula. 2. The initiative is a booster of attention to Crimea at the national level, and the Office of the Crimea Platform has become the centre of Crimea discussions and processes, a coordination and communication format between the state authorities of Ukraine, foreign states, international organisations and Ukrainian citizens from Crimea. 3. The Crimea Platform is an important signal for our citizens under occupation, as the efforts made by the state in organising and conducting the Summit demonstrated to our people in the occupied territories that Ukraine is ready and will fight for them. 4. The Crimea Platform is an important venue for changing narratives about Crimea and a tool for revealing the true history to the international community. 5. The Crimea Platform is a potential coordination mechanism for restoring and reconstructing Crimea after liberation.
The article emphasises that the Crimea Platform has become a powerful tool for countering the russian occupation of Crimea. Its work shows that Ukraine does not give up and continues to fight for its territorial integrity. It is noted that the Crimea Platform is now committed to the liberation of Crimea, and in the future, it may work for the sake of its restoration.
Keywords: Crimea Platform, occupation, liberation of Crimea, international support, Ukraine.