The Crimean Tatar Youth Congress Hosted by YTB Has Begun

The official opening of the 10th Crimean Tatar Youth Congress and the commemoration program of the 81st anniversary of the 1944 Crimean Tatar Deportation were organized by the Presidency For Turks Abroad And Related Communities (YTB).

The main theme of the 10th Youth Congress, which was attended by approximately 85 Crimean Tatar youth from different countries, was determined as "International Crimean Tatar Youth Organization".

YTB Vice President Murat Kazancı gave a speech at the program. Kazancı emphasized that our Crimean Tatar cognates serve as a bridge in relations between Ukraine and Türkiye.

Deputy Chairman Kazancı, who stated that there is deep pain in the hearts of Crimean Tatars both in Ukraine and in different parts of the world, said, "As YTB, we are trying to keep this social memory alive and to pass on the lessons to be learned from these events to future generations. As you know, after the illegal annexation by Russia, the Republic of Türkiye stated on every platform that it recognizes the territorial integrity of Ukraine and does not recognize this illegal annexation. Our President also exerts all his efforts to establish peace at every opportunity."

Kazancı also shared the work that YTB has done for the Crimean Tatars and stated that YTB is also an institution established to serve our cognates. Stating that they have signed many studies that tell the history, present and future of the Crimean Tatars, Kazancı said, "With the work we started before the annexation, we turned our cultural heritage from different regions of the Crimean Peninsula into an inventory. We conducted an oral history study related to the exile. We organized programs where we addressed various aspects of the exile. We also organized the 9thCrimean Tatar Elderly Congress in Ankara. We published books about Tatars in different parts of the world. We published comprehensive studies that tell the history of Tatars living in different countries, their development in those countries and their present day."

Vice President Kazancı said that priority is given to Crimean Tatar youth within the scope of Türkiye Scholarships, one of the most important works of YTB. Kazancı said, "One of our priority works is the Türkiye Scholarships Program. We strive to provide scholarships to students of our Crimean Tatar cognates. Since 1992, we have provided gratuitous scholarships to 1,525 of our Crimean Tatar kindred, the vast majority of whom are Ukrainian citizens. Currently, 95 of our Ukrainian cognates continue to receive their university education in Türkiye."

Mükremin Şahin, The Chairman of the Association of Culture and Solidarity with the Crimean Turks,  emphasized the importance of Crimean Tatar youth living in various parts of the world getting to know each other and being in dialogue with each other in his speech at the program. Stating that the stated goal was achieved thanks to this program, Şahin said, "There is currently a diaspora of the Crimean Tatar people in 20 countries from Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan to Canada. This meeting is not just a meeting of Crimean Tatars living in Türkiye, it is a congress of the Crimean Tatar people. I would like to state that you, as young Crimean Tatars in the world, are true heirs to this heritage. What is expected from you is to embrace this mission."

Speaking at the opening meeting of the Congress, President of the Crimean Association Youth Branch Samet Cengiz drew attention to the fact that the Crimean Tatar people were forced to disperse to all corners of the world as a result of the suffering they experienced. Stating that they will make Crimea's voice heard to the world as young people, Cengiz said, "When we look at the history of our national movement, it will be very clear that the Crimean Tatar National Movement, which has developed from İsmail Bey Gaspıralı to the present, is essentially and fundamentally a youth movement. Our movement, which was born as a youth movement, has produced many of our pioneers who inspire us and illuminate our path today, such as Numan Çelebi Cihan, Abdürreşit Mehdi, Hasan Sabri Ayvazov, who were martyred at a young age, Cafer Seydahmet Kırımer, Bekir Sıtkı Çobanzade, Reşat Cemilev and Mustafa Abdülcemil Kırımoğlu. In this movement, we, the youth, protect our history, keep our language alive, protect our culture and make Crimea's voice heard to the world."

Gayana Yüksel, a member of the Crimean Tatar National Assembly and President of Şefika Gaspıralı International Women's Union Association, also emphasized that the Congress was not just a meeting for the Crimean Tatar people, but also brought with it a deep historical responsibility. Yüksel, who stated that the Crimean Tatar people had experienced a great tragedy in the past, said, "81 years ago, on May 18, 1944, the Crimean Tatar people experienced a great tragedy. And that day, thousands of people, women, children, the elderly, and the young, were loaded into animal wagons from their homes in one night and torn away from their homeland. And we are still experiencing this pain."

The Counselor of the Embassy of Ukraine in Ankara, Denis Zolotarov, also attended the congress and made a speech. He said that the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the City of Sevastopol are an inseparable part of Ukraine. Zolotarov said, "In this context, we would like to express our sincere gratitude to our strategic partner, the Republic of Türkiye, and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan for their unwavering support for Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity. Ukraine will continue to protect the national interests of the Crimean Tatar people, revive their cultural heritage and support their development."

The program also featured a screening of the Mustafa Kırımoğlu documentary shot by YTB. Following the opening speeches, panels and conferences prepared as part of the congress were held.

The congress, which was first held in Ankara in 2003 and brings together Crimean Tatar youth from around the world to meet and collaborate, meets every two years and is mostly organized to cover the 18th of May, the date of the Deportation of Crimean Tatars in 1944.