Declaration of the Bashkir and Tatar National Movements on Mutual Recognition and Cooperation

We, the Government of Independent Tatarstan and the Committee of the Bashkir National Movement Abroad (hereinafter referred to as the Parties), seeking to coordinate our efforts in the struggle against Moscow imperialism and in achieving independence for our republics, have agreed as follows:

1. The Parties recognize the Committee of the Bashkir National Movement Abroad and the Government of Independent Tatarstan as the legitimate and authorized representatives of Bashkortostan and Tatarstan, respectively.

2. The Parties undertake not to take any actions that could harm the national movements of the Tatar and Bashkir peoples in their pursuit of freedom and independence. The Parties also undertake to inform each other of initiatives that directly affect the interests of the partner side.

3. The Parties recognize the right of Bashkortostan and Tatarstan to achieve independence and withdraw from the Russian Federation and undertake to support each other on this path.

4. The Parties guarantee the political, national, and cultural rights of each community — Tatars in Bashkortostan and Bashkirs in Tatarstan — including:

the right to free self-identification and protection against overt or covert attempts to rewrite national identity;

the right to receive a full cycle of secondary education in the regional language, without eliminating the requirement to have command of the state language;

the right to establish national political parties and civic organizations — Bashkir organizations in Tatarstan and Tatar organizations in Bashkortostan — and to participate in the political life of both states;

the right to use the regional language in local self-government.

5. The Parties recognize the inviolability of the existing borders between Bashkortostan and Tatarstan.

6. The Parties undertake to resolve all disputes and conflicts between the republics and their national movements exclusively through negotiations and peaceful dialogue.

Government of Independent Tatarstan

Rafis Kashapov
Aida Abdrakhmanova

Committee of the Bashkir National Movement Abroad

Ruslan Gabbasov
Ilshat Kinzyabaev

London — Vilnius
April 14, 2023