Engaging Crimea: Prospects for Conflict and Cooperation

Veranstaltungsart
Käte Hamburger Dialogue

Ort/Datum
Bonn, 09.04.2015

Veranstalter

German Development Institute / Deutsches Institut für Entwicklungspolitik (DIE) & Käte Hamburger Kolleg / Centre for Global Cooperation Research


A year ago on 16th March 2014 the Autonomous Republic of Crimea held a highly controversial referendum on its legal status. A translation of the referendum questions from Ukrainian and Russian to English indicated a choice between autonomy within Ukraine as per the 1992 constitution or joining the Russian Federation. Maintaining the status quo w as not an option. In the referendum - regarded as unconstitutional by the Venice Commission and as invalid by a resolution of the UN - Assembly — an overwhelming majority of Crimeans voted for the latter option. At the time - and as recently confirmed by Putin in an interview - Crimea’s absorption has been considered a military intervention by Russia. It was widely criticised and considered an annexation according to international law standards.

Now, a year after the referendum, Crimea is de - facto Russian territory, incorporated at both the political and societal levels of integration. However, with just over 2 million people and a weak dependent economy, no fresh water and lack of electricity, Crimea’s future looks uncertain if not bleak. Despite this, a recent survey claims that a large majority of people, living in Crimea accept Russia annexation and moreover feel safe and secure there. Controversially the Democratic Initiative Foundation (Kiev, Ukraine) published results, in which 68% of Ukrainians believed t hat Crimea remains part of Ukraine.

To follow this unfolding situation, the fourth Käte Hamburger Dialogue brought together international academics and experts in the field to discuss the following questions:

What is the reality? Is it the one held by the majority of Crimean people, or the one held by Ukrainians, who believe that Crimea is part of Ukraine?

  • With these two divergent perspectives what does the future of Crimea portend for Ukraine as a whole as it seeks deeper integration within Western Institutions?
  • Can we expect even more sanctions against Russia and more conflict in the near future and with it a potentially wider role for regional organisations such as the OSCE, the EU and perhaps even NATO?
  • Can a middle ground between the Ukrainian demand for reunification and the Crimean desire to be part of Russia be found?
  • in collaboration with
  • Who will lead the search for political compromise and how will it affect the unsettled conflict in eastern Ukraine and regional stability as a whole?
  • What are the entry points for engaging Crimea’s minorities who have views divergent from the majority populations?


Programme

18.00-18.10 Welcoming and Introductory Remarks:
Dirk Messner, Director of the German Development Institute / Deutsches Institut für Entwicklungspolitik (DIE) & Co-Director of Käte Hamburger Kolleg / Centre for Global Cooperation Research

18:10-19:00 4th Käte Hamburger Dialogue “Engaging Crimea: Prospects for Conflict and Cooperation”
Olga Dukhnich, Associate Professor, Institute of Social and Political Psychology at National Academy of Pedagogical Sciences of Ukraine, Journalist “Novoe Vremya”, Ukraine
Elmira Muratova, Associated Professor at the Department of Political Science and International Relations, Taurida National Vernadsky University (Crimean Federal University) Simferopol, Crimea
Ivan Preobrajensky, political scientist, columnist, News Agency “Rosbalt”, Russia
Arsen Zhumadilov, MA, Chief of the Office, Commissioner for Crimean Tatar’s Affairs office , President of Ukraine Office (apparatus), Crimean Institute for Strategic Studies, Ukraine
Moderator: David Carment, Käte Hamburger Kolleg / Centre for Global Cooperation Research and Carleton University, Canada

19:00-19:30 Discussion with the Audience

19:30 End of the Dialogue and Get-Together

The Dialogue was conducted in English.


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Veranstaltungsinformation

Datum / Uhr
09.04.2015 / 19:00 - 20:30

Ort

German Development Institute / Deutsches Institut für Entwicklungspolitik (DIE)
Tulpenfeld 6
53113 Bonn