1. The Parties undertake to promote the conditions necessary for persons belonging to national minorities to maintain and develop their culture, and to preserve the essential elements of their identity, namely their religion, language, traditions and cultural heritage.
2. Without prejudice to measures taken in pursuance of their general integration policy, the Parties shall refrain from policies or practices aimed at assimilation of persons belonging to national minorities against their will and shall protect these persons from any action aimed at such assimilation.

Ruination of Cultural Heritage

118.	After deportation all theaters, hundreds of mosques were also closed, and in time had been used as horse stables, storehouses, shops or razed to the ground.
119.	The participation in cultural life, using the results of a scientific progress, protection, development and the spreading of the achievements of science and culture, as well a freedom of scientific and creative activity conformably to Crimean Tatars is realized by the state in such conditions, which essentially bring an aggregate of these rights to no.
120.	Currently, there are more than 900 architectural objects in the Crimea, serving as monuments of history and culture of Crimean Tatars. Less then 10% of them were noted down by the List of National Cultural Legacy, which are on the public books and are protected by the state. The condition of large monuments is extremely unsatisfactory today, a significant research and the restoration works are requested.
121.	During period before 1944, in accordance with the materials of expeditions of Academy of Science of Russia, more than 400 buildings and erections of Crimean Tatar architecture were referred to monuments of architecture.
122.	The case of return to Crimean Tatars or at least using the monuments of history and culture of Crimean Tatar People by appointment, were blockaded by concerned authorities by various pretexts.
123.	A large number of the monuments of Crimean Tatar culture was destroyed but a lot of acts of the destruction of the objects of the Crimean Tatar culture were not documented.
124.	Also, the documents were kept to testify, that the rests of the cultural heritage of Crimean Tatars were plundered in 1960-1970.
125.	The process of destruction and a ravage of the cultural property of Crimean Tatars during XX., including a period after 1954 (passing the Crimea under jurisdiction of the Ukraine) may illustrate some examples -1902 by order of Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russian Empire 100 kadiasker's books (the compilations of the court decisions), 12 (legal) decisions XVII-beginning of XIX., were handed to Public Library of Sankt-Petersburg (Russia);
126.	in 1905-1938 hundreds of the objects of a national art, way of life, ethnography of the Crimean Tatars were bought up very cheaply or gratuitously were removed at first by Tzar, than Soviet authorities and were handed to Central museum establishments of Russia. So, only is there a collection consisting of 2184 objects. (For comparison- only about 300 objects were collected in Crimean ethnographic museum by collaborators of Crimean Tatar department for now);
127.	in 1920 the trade agreement was concluded by Soviet Government and Great Britain in accordance with it, for economical and food assistance, the artistic values were reckoned by Soviet Union. Special offices of so-called "Trade syndicate" made an exchange of the bread in starving of the Crimea for artistic, gold and silver wares which than were conveyed abroad. The values were withdrawn and from museums of the Crimea;
128.	the German authorities of occupation of Second World War did their bit in destruction of cultural property of Crimean Tatars, so Einzatzcommand of Rosenberg staff have removed from the Crimea non-established number of objects of Crimean Tatar culture and art in 1934-1944. It is possible to verify, that collection of Berlin museum of ethnography keeps more 500 exhibits, which were removed from the Crimea for years of First and Second World Wars;
129.	after deportation of 1944 all cultural establishments of Crimean Tatars, as well as remaining literature was destroyed, historical monuments were demolished or used without appointment. All cemeteries were demolished. From large architectural - historical monuments there remains only a Palace of Crimean Khans in Bakhchisaray. It was used as a place for anti-Crimean Tatar racial propaganda during excursions of tourists, who visited the Crimea;
130.	the building and the territory of the medieval University of Crimean Tatars -"Zindzhirli Medrese" is used as a psychiatric clinic.
131.	After many years, while the Crimea was being under a jurisdiction of Ukraine already, the plunder of the cultural -property of Crimean Tatars has lasted in large scales. For example, - in 1955 from Bakhchisaray historical-archaeological museum were passed 15 exhibits to Kiev historical one, - in 1958 to Kiev museum of Russian painting (Ukraine)-6 exhibits, - in 1959, to Kachovsky museum of local history (Ukraine)-16 exhibits, - in 1965, to Zaporizhya museum of local history (Ukraine)-14 exhibits, - in 1964, to Leningrad Russian public museum ( Russia) -1 exhibit, - in 1966, to Leningrad public museum Ermitazh ( Russia)-3 exhibits, - in 1975, to Lviv museum of history, religion and atheism ( Ukraine)-30 exhibits, - in 1976, by permission of the Ministry of Culture of Ukraine of April 29,1976, to library of Saltikov-Shedrin (Petersburg, Russia) were passed -337 exhibits, -in 1993 to Kiev historical museum (Ukraine)-89 exhibits. It is not far complete facts.
132.	The home was placed printing-house of newspaper "Terjiman", which was published towards the end of XI-beginning of XX century by the largest of Crimean Tatar educator and thinker Ismayil Gaspraly, up to now have lived a families of post-war Russian settlers. The requests to authorities of the return of a building and organization of the museum are declined. Only one Crimean Tatar NGO bought with it's own money 6 flats for those settlers in order they to away from that building and give it back to Crimean Tatars to arrange tne museum.
133.	Crimean Tatars as many Indigenous People have a practice of the holy places, having a historical, cultural and religious significance. They were all defiled, but the objects of worship were destroyed and used for outrages upon the customs and a traditional, religious of practice of the people.

Problems of Re-Vitalization of Folklore and Art

134.	Only a professional group of folklore of Crimean Tatars "Crimea" forced to beg, only recently received a financing from budget, but still there is not housing-building for artists. In a case of their collapse the last professional bearer of national, musical, dancing and playing traditions will be lost for Crimean Tatars.
134.	Crimean Tatar Theatre was re-established on the initiative of Crimean Tatar actors and cultural activists. The building which was constructed before the WWII especially for Crimean Tatar theatre was not given back to theatre despite of a lot of applies to authorities. Another building of bad condition was received only for using not for possession. Now theatre doesn't work due to emergent situation of the building although it was a winner and participant of some Ukrainian and international festivals. For comparison Russian Theatre has two big buildings in Simferopol, Ukrainian theatre is placed in good equipped new building in the center of the city.
136.	Crimean Tatar national library was opened under pressure of Crimean Tatar community, as a branch of city library of Simferopol and was placed in absolutely unaccepted accommodation, which does not have the conditions for keeping books, the danger of fire is high. Funds of this library were formed by voluntary donations of a private persons and cultural organizations. Authorities have not done anything, in order to create and develop the most important cultural of heath of Crimean Tatars. Only by virtue of the Government of Netherlands, which gave the necessary-grants national library was reconstructed now and gets the modem library equipment.

Prohibition of Crimean Tatar Script

137.	In 1929 under the predict of the transfer of the Crimean Tatar language from traditional script on base of Arabic into Latin all books and manuscripts of traditional script were withdrawn, collected and burned by order of the authorities.
138.	In 1939 by switching from Latin script to Cyrillic alphabet, the literature in Latin was destroyed, which was accumulated during 10 years.
139.	Cyrillic alphabet is absolutely unacceptable for the Crimean Tatar phonetic and grammar system. Kurultay of Crimean Tatar People unanimously had decided in1991 to restore the Latin alphabet as the most comfortable for the Crimean Tatar language. The Crimean Tatar deputies group in Crimean parliament in 1997 had achieved the positive voting on this question. But Government refuses to recognize the Latin alphabet for Crimean Tatar language officially. As a method to prevent the transition of Crimean Tatars to the Latin script the Government cuts all allocations for the editions and newspapers which try to use the Latin alphabet or for the educational establishments which start to teach it.
140.	>From the point of view of Government officials using the Latin alphabet can make it difficult the linguistic assimilation of Crimean Tatars by the majority who uses the Cyrillic alphabet. Formally the Government refers to the technical reasons. But they don't exist really because the edition process is now simplified with computers etc.

Erosion of Religious Identity