ICDS hosted a public seminar the main aims of which were to stress the importance of maintaining the Crimean occupation issue high on the international political agenda as well as in global media focus and to emphasise the need for more vigorously counteracting Russia’s persistent efforts to manipulate public narratives and legitimise this occupation.
The seminar was opened by Mr. Sven Mikser, Estonian Minister of Foreign Affairs, who stressed that the continuing occupation of Crimea remains an important precedent of violation of the international law and a case in suppression of human rights as well as in enormous militarisation of the region.
Panel discussion “Overcoming the Crimean challenge to European security”, moderated by Mr. Eerik Marmei, ICDS Research Fellow, was featuring several knowledgeable speakers from Ukraine and Estonia:
Dr. Borys Babin, Permanent Representative of the President of Ukraine in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea
Mr. Martin Roger, Director, Division for Eastern Europe & Central Asia, Estonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Mr. Bohdan Yaremenko, Chairman of the Board, Maidan of Foreign Affairs Foundation (Kyiv, Ukraine)
The second panel discussion was moderated by Mr. Dmitri Teperik, ICDS Chef Executive, who addressed the topic of (dis)informational struggle on the Crimean issue.
Ms. Marina Dadinova, Communications Director at the Institute for Social and Economic Research (Kyiv, Ukraine)
Mr. Stanislav Yurchenko, Journalist at the Radio Free Europe (Kyiv, Ukraine)
Mr. Artur Aukon, Deputy Editor-in-Chief at Radio4, Estonian Public Broadcasting
The experts noted that the illegal occupation of Crimea by the Russian Federation, which took place in early 2014, was one of major topics of global media, intensively discussed by politicians, diplomats, security experts and journalists worldwide. The international community, in response to Russia’s actions, imposed various sanctions which remain in place to date. By 2018, however, the focus of attention has inevitably shifted to many other pressing issues.
Read more in English or Russian:
http://www.ppu.gov.ua/en/pytannya-deokupatsiyi-krymu-obgovoryuvalysya-v-estoniyi/