The Odesa Regional Council supported the recognition of the Gagauz as an indigenous people of Ukraine

The Odesa Regional Council adopted a resolution addressed to the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine requesting that the Gagauz be legally recognized as an indigenous people. Fifty-three deputies voted in favor.

The decision was adopted during a session of the Odesa Regional Council. 

Fevzi Mamutov, a deputy from the “European Solidarity” party, noted that 95 percent of the Gagauz people live in the Odesa region. For decades, they have been fighting for recognition of their people as an indigenous group, as this is necessary for the preservation of their culture. 

The final decision on amending the legislation and officially granting the Gagauz the status of an indigenous people rests solely with the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine.

According to the Law of Ukraine “On the Indigenous Peoples of Ukraine,” adopted in 2021, only those autochthonous ethnic communities that formed on the territory of Ukraine, possess a distinct language and culture, do not have their own state outside Ukraine, and constitute a minority within the population are granted the status of indigenous peoples.

Earlier, Fevzi Mamutov, head of the NGO “Crimean Tatars of Odesa Region,” a member of the Odesa Regional Council, and a Ukrainian and European champion in Greco-Roman wrestling, gave an interview to Intent. He spoke about how the lives of Crimean Tatars have changed over the past ten years and shared his thoughts on fears, resistance, and the need to know the history of Crimea and Odesa.

Юлія Калабайда