Crimea future is broad autonomy within Ukraine — Mustafa Dzhemilev

He spoke about this in an interview published on Mykola Kniazhytskyi's YouTube channel.

“I believe 99% of the Crimean Tatar people support the idea,” he added.

Dzhemilev recalled that even before the occupation of Crimea, there were many stereotypes about Crimean Tatars, including that they were the main danger to the territorial integrity of Ukraine. 

“Crimea and Ukraine are economically interconnected. If not Ukraine, then with whom? Turkey is across the Black Sea, far removed, while Ukraine is our direct neighbor. This is why we see no viable alternative,” he commented.

Read also: Why negotiating with Russia is impossible without addressing Crimea: Interview with Mustafa Dzhemilev

At the same time, the leader of the Crimean Tatar people emphasized that this should not be an amorphous, incomprehensible administrative autonomy, but rather national-territorial autonomy based on the internationally recognized right of the indigenous people to self-determination of their homeland.

“We have long presented this idea to various presidents and discussed it extensively. In principle, they agree that this is the right course of action. However, the necessary amendments to the Constitution have yet to be made,” Dzhemilev said.