The first meeting of the National Commission on the Crimean Tatar Language was held co-chaired by Iryna Vereshchuk, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Reintegration of the Temporarily Occupied Territories.
The National Commission was established by the Government in early January this year to implement the Strategy for the Development of the Crimean Tatar Language for 2022-2032.
The National Commission is also co-chaired by the Permanent Representative of the President in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea Tamila Tasheva and the Chairman of the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar people Refat Chubarov.
The meeting was attended by representatives of government agencies that are part of the National Commission, as well as scholars and linguists from educational institutions.
The participants of the meeting focused on the priority steps to implement the Strategy and the Operational Plan for its implementation.
The main condition for the functioning of any language is the availability of spelling. Approval of the spelling will strengthen the authority of the Crimean Tatar language and promote its popularization in Ukraine and the world.
The participants discussed the possibility of creating a working group on the spelling of the Crimean Tatar language. It should include linguists who will work on developing an official spelling of the Crimean Tatar language based on the Latin alphabet.
“The Crimean Tatar language is a unique cultural heritage protected by UNESCO. And it is our responsibility to preserve it. Now we have to focus on those areas that give real results. First of all, we need to develop the spelling and the legal framework for its official approval. This should be a signal to the occupiers in Crimea that Ukraine will not allow the Crimean Tatar language to disappear. We will make every effort to develop it, including through the activities of the National Commission,†emphasized Iryna Vereshchuk.
