To see the local tense security, humanitarian and environmental situation with its own eyes a European Parliament delegation will pay a visit to Mariupol and ATO zone.
Iryna Herashchenko, the First Deputy Chairperson of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine took part in the 95th Rose-Roth Programme seminar in collaboration with the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, Session 2 “Humanitarian and Military Situation in Donbas”. She informed the audience that a European Parliament delegation would visit Mariupol and ATO zone to see the local tense security, humanitarian and environmental situation with its own eyes.
The First Vice-Speaker expressed her gratitude for the material assistance the Alliance has been rendering to Ukraine to strengthen its defences and rehabilitate the wounded - “630 wounded men during ATO are undergoing proper treatment abroad in sixteen member countries of the Alliance”.
Two medical centres for servicemen rehabilitation will reportedly be opened soon in Kyiv and Zakarpatye (Transcarpathia), where the heavily wounded survivors be treated and supported psychologically.
Iryna Herashchenko stressed the need in strengthening collaboration over cybersecurity within the hybrid warfare.
The Presidential aide also underscored that the Russian Federation and its SRDLO ‘partners’ went on breaking the Minsk accords despite the agreed ceasefire until June 24. She put a special stress that shelling of the human settlements and the Ukrainian servicemen takes place almost every single day.
Particular attention was paid to the ever-increasing number of Ukrainians illegally seized in Donbas, amounting at present up to 132 persons.
In her comments over the humanitarian situation in Donbas Iryna Herashchenko made reference to the notorious sexual harassment incident which had taken place on May 5th, 2017, and underlined that the world community should react much stiffer to all and any displays of aggression against the OSCE SMM.
It was of general approval that all the parties under the Minsk agreements must stick to international law. “It is inadmissible that the Red Cross has for two years been denied access to prisons in the occupied territories,” stressed the First Vice- Speaker.
As a representative of the TCG’s humanitarian subgroup Iryna Herashchenko appealed to all the OSCE PA member parliaments to utter a joint declaration to the Russian Federation in order to immediately liberate the Ukrainian hostages, seized in Russia and the occupied territories of Ukraine.
Extremely high risks of man-induced and environmental catastrophe have sprung up in Donbas resulting from the three-year Russian occupation. To prevent the disaster it is supposed to create special infrastructural security hubs. Almost daily heavy shelling of the Donetsk filtration station by SRDLO’s militants and the increasing safety risk for drowned mines in Donbas were also touched upon.
Women’s growing presence in peacekeeping processes was also denoted by Iryna Herashchenko. The Ukrainian armed forces have contracted so far over twenty one thousand women, whilst only 2,500 of which belonging to commissioned staff. It is seemingly far from the NATO gender equality standards.
Ernst Reichel, the German Ambassador to Ukraine stressed, in his turn, the apparent lack of international efforts regarding settlement of the Donbas conflict.
Hanna Hopko, Head of the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, Ivan Rusnak, the Deputy Minister of Defence of Ukraine, and Ernst Reichel, the German Ambassador to Ukraine were also in attendance at the event.