On August 20, a new Crimean Tatar organization was created in Ankara, the Shefiki Gasprinska International Women’s Union. Among the eleven members of the Union’s Board are the chairman Gayana Yüksel, and it also includes Ülkü Aksel, Pınar Ayhan, Saadet Aslan Bayar, Nejla Kalkai, Evelina Kemileva, Serra Menekai, Nariye Seydametova, Oya Deniz Çongar Şahin, Gönyul Shamilkyzy, Zühal Yüksel.
Our Association repeatedly mentioned the activities of this organization in the news. And now the Union’s Head of the Board, a member of the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar People, an associate professor of the Department of Journalism of V.I. Vernadsky Taurida National University and a doctor of social communications at Istanbul University, Gayana Yüksel, kindly agreed to answer the questions of the press attaché of our Association.
– Is the newly created organization purely female and is it included in the Platform of Crimean Tatar Organizations of Türkiye?
Gayana Yüksel: If we talk about Crimean Tatar organizations in Türkiye, there are two large structures. The first of them is the General Office of the Crimean Tatar Public Organization of Culture and Mutual Aid, which unites about 25 branches throughout the Republic of Türkiye, and also has ten representative offices in Turkish provinces. The main office is located in the city of Ankara, it is the main center. It was founded back in 1955 as a public organization, which sounds like “dernek” in Turkish. At the same time, against the background of the occupation of Crimea after 2014, the Platform of Crimean Tatar public organizations was created in Türkiye, which included both the General Office and its structures, as well as other independent organizations.
When we started coming here after February 2022, namely after the beginning of the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, the head of the General Office, Mükremin Şahin, offered me to lead the women’s initiative as a direction of activity of this organization, which was created back in 2016. At the same time, I did not stop my work in Ukraine. After some time, I proposed to register this initiative as a public organization, since most of the preparatory activities were carried out by women. This proposal was accepted, now this women’s initiative has been transformed into a public organization, namely the Shefiki Gasprinska International Women’s Union.
She is the daughter of the great Crimean Tatar thinker Ismail Gasprinsky, she was a very advanced woman, and now, if she were alive and working, she would probably be one of the main leaders of our people. In addition, she was a scientist, a journalist, published together with her father the first women’s newspaper in the Turkic world, “Alemi-Nisvan” (“Women’s World”), and was one of the five women delegates to the first Kurultai of the Crimean Tatar people in 1917.
Our organization was registered in Türkiye on August 20 this year, and on August 24 we already held our first official meeting. Our organization will work to expand the activities of the women’s initiative. We are a separate organization, but, most likely, we will join the Platform of Crimean Tatar Organizations of Türkiye. Now we are at the stage of creation, solving some organizational issues, etc. At the same time, the organization is in close coordination and cooperation with all Crimean Tatar structures and centers. The Embassy of Ukraine in Türkiye knows about us, we cooperate with it and cooperate with Ukrainian public organizations in the Republic of Türkiye. Although the organization is a women’s organization, it does not mean that the members are exclusively women. There is no division based on gender, those who want to join us can become members of the organization, of course, if the candidate meets the criteria and shares our views. By the way, we already have members of the organization – not women. The organization will deal with all aspects of life: human rights, education, protection of children’s rights, etc.
– What are the plans of the organization? Can we expect initiatives in Ukraine?
Gayana Yüksel: Of course, we will work with Ukraine first. Our organization is Crimean Tatar, and Crimean Tatars, as an indigenous people of Ukraine, live on its territory. Now Crimean Tatars – Ukrainian citizens bear responsibility, overcome challenges, do everything possible to win the war against Ukraine and liberate our Crimea. Regarding initiatives in Ukraine, we already have a strategic partner – the Union of Women of Ukraine, a public organization that has representatives in all regions of the Ukrainian state. We keep in touch almost every day and think about holding joint events. On October 19, a promotional program will be held in New York (USA), which we will organize together with our representative office in the United States and the Ismail Gaspinsky School of the American Union of Crimean Tatars.
At the end of this year or at the beginning of next year, we will hold a presentation of our organization, of course, the Union of Women of Ukraine will join this event.
– How does the organization assess the Russian occupation of Crimea and Russia’s full-scale aggression in Ukraine?
Gayana Yüksel: Our organization relates to the Russian occupation of Crimea and Russia’s full-scale aggression in Ukraine, of course, as an international crime and Russia’s illegal actions. Crimea is a Ukrainian territory. In this context, our organization and its members fully support the position of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, of Ukraine and other states, international structures and organizations in condemning Russia’s aggressive actions. We support Ukraine’s position on the impossibilityof handing over its territories in exchange for peace. We also support the position of Turkey, which was very clearly expressed by its President Recep Tayyip Erdogan at the last fourth summit of the Crimean Platform, who emphasized that Crimea be returned to Ukraine.
Press attaché of the Association of Reintegration of Crimea
Ruslan Deremedved
