The Federal union of European Nationalities (FUEN) paid a study visit to Kiev, capital of Ukraine, on 21-24 March 2017. In the first pillar of the visit a round table meeting with minority organizations which are members of FUEN was held on minority policy of Ukraine with participation of Loránt Vincze, the President of FUEN, Halit Habip Oğlu, Vice-President of FUEN and Bernard Gaida, Speaker of the Working Group of German Minorities (AGDM).

The delegation obtained information about the recent situation in Crimea under occupation from Eskender Bariev, member of the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar people and President of the Crimean Tatar Resource Center and Elvin Kadyrov, Crimean Tatar Society Coordinator. 

FUEN delegation who met with Ayder Mujdabayev, ATR Deputy Director General, TV channel of Crimean Tatars received information about studies of the ATR which had been closed following the invasion of Crimea and started broadcasting together with children’s TV and the radio from Kiev through internet and satellite. Subsequently, FUEN delegation met with Gayana Yüksel, Crimean News Agency (QHA)-news agency of Crimean Tatars- Chief Editor and Member of the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar people. The delegation who obtained information about the studies of the news agency broadcasting in languages of Turkish, English, Ukrainian and Russian learned that the agency conveys the real situation in Crimea under occupation to international media. FUEN delegation who also met youth organizations of the Crimean Tatars learned that interest for FUEN increased among the Crimean Tatar young people following the Crimean Tatar team had participated the football championship of the autochthonous national minorities named EUROPEADA with the financial support of FUEN in South Tyrol, Italy. The delegation obtained information about studies of the Crimean Tatar youth organizations and stated they would like to see the Crimean Tatar young people under the roof of Youth of European Nationalities(YEN). 

In the meeting held with the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar people (the Mejlis), FUEN delegation met with Crimean Tatars’ national leader, Mustafa Dzhemilev (in Turkish: Mustafa Abdülcemil Kırımoğlu), Refat Chubarov, President of the Mejlis, Rıza Shevkiev, Member of the Mejlis and the President of the Crimea Foundation, İsmet Yüksel, Chief Advisor for Turkey of the President of the Mejlis and the General Coordinator of QHA and the Crimean Tatar activists. During the meeting at which Yusuf Kürkçü, First Deputy Minister for the Ministry of the Temporarily Occupied Territories and Internally Displaced Persons in Ukraine also participated, the Crimean Tatar national leader and the President of the Mejlis stated that Crimean Tatars should be recognized as the indigenous people of Crimea and that the autonomous Crimean Tatar Republic should be established in accordance with the right to self-determination as indigenous people of Crimea. At the meeting collaboration opportunities between the Crimean Tatars and FUEN at civil society level are also evaluated.