Vice-President of the World Congress of Crimean Tatars on the decision of Kiev to translate their language into Latin

The decision of the government of Ukraine provides that the translation of the Crimean Tatar script into the Latin alphabet will be carried out until September 1, 2025. The basis for this act is the decision of the Kurultai of the Crimean Tatar people of 1991-1993.

Earlier this month, Eyvaz Umerov, head of the regional cultural autonomy of the Crimean Tatars, criticized the Ukrainian authorities’ intention to change the alphabet of the Crimean Tatar language. “Crimean Tatars live in Russia, and they are indifferent to such initiatives of the Kiev authorities. There is no need or sense in changing the alphabet. This is no longer relevant. Once we had a Latin alphabet, but … now the entire education system is in Cyrillic “, – quoted his RIA Novosti.

– Are the Crimean Tatars ready to switch to the Latin alphabet and won’t it divide their people even more?

– The Latin alphabet is, after all, an entrance to the general world civilizational series. On our TV channel, we have been using the Latin alphabet a long time ago. Many (Crimean Tatars) no longer have Cyrillic phones. This (the decision of the Ukrainian government) will not divide (the Crimean Tatars) in any way. Yes, Crimea is now occupied. It is clear that this will create temporary difficulties for the people who are there, because we will also publish textbooks and prepare for what will happen later, after the de-occupation. Turkey has followed the same path in its time, creating its own new alphabet and adding new words. The entire civilized world goes through this. We need to create a whole philological center that will prepare and create dictionaries and primers, now Wikipedia is being made (for the Crimean Tatars) with the help of Ukraine. These are very correct things.

– Will it not turn out that the decision of the Ukrainian government is a symbolic step, given that the overwhelming majority of Crimean Tatars live in the occupied Crimea?

– In the occupied zone, yes, but the world is now global. And the Crimean Tatar people do not stand aside. We correspond in the Latin alphabet mainly, the Cyrillic alphabet is also there. If two years ago there were difficulties with this, now it is elementary.

The alphabet of the Crimean Tatar language based on Latin graphics consists of 31 letters. It is noted that it was developed in the process of consultations with the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar people, specialists of the Crimean Institute of Oriental Studies, the Potebnya Institute of Linguistics, the Institute of Philology of the Shevchenko National University of Kyiv and the Vernadsky Tavria National University.

“From now on, the Crimean Tatar language will develop in greater harmony with other Turkic languages, which after 1991 or are now switching to the Latin alphabet,” said the head of the Ministry of Integration of Ukraine Oleksiy Reznikov. “And it is important that this creates additional opportunities for Ukraine to interact with the Turkic countries, including our strategic partners.”

Even at the household level, “every Ukrainian who will have the basics of the Crimean Tatar language will feel more confident when traveling or business contacts in the same Turkey, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan or Uzbekistan,” the minister assured. His words leads “Crimea. Realities”.

In connection with the decision of the government, the Ministry of Education and Science, the Ministry of Culture and Information Policy, the Ministry for the Reintegration of the Temporarily Occupied Territories, together with interested parties, were instructed to translate the educational process, which is carried out in the Crimean Tatar language, including textbooks and teaching materials, into the alphabet based on the Latin alphabet until September 1, 2025.

In addition, it was instructed to stimulate the use of the Crimean Tatar language based on the Latin script in other spheres of life, transfers Interfax.

About 300 thousand Crimean Tatars now live in Crimea, while in the rest of Ukraine there are 10-15 thousand Crimean Tatars.

In 1991, after the collapse of the USSR, Crimea remained a part of Ukraine as an autonomous republic. In March 2014, it was annexed by Russia. Ukraine considers the peninsula to be temporarily occupied territory. The countries of the European Union and the United States have imposed sanctions on hundreds of Russian companies, politicians and businessmen involved in the aggression against Ukraine. The Russian authorities say that the Crimea issue is closed forever and that the peninsula belongs to the Russian Federation.