“Heading towards delivering reforms and restoration of Ukraine’s territorial integrity, France remains to be a reliable strategic partner of our country,” – Iryna Herashchenko
In the course of the meeting with the French Senate official delegation the First Deputy Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Iryna Herashchenko underscored that “on the path to reforms and restoration of the state’s territorial integrity, France remains to be a dependable strategic partner of Ukraine”.
The Ukrainian politician expressed her sincere gratitude to the French colleagues for the substantial aid France was rendering to Ukraine.
The First Vice-Speaker of the Parliament also stated that the recently elected French President Emmanuel Macron took an active stand within the Normandy format, giving thereby a very important encouragement to Ukraine.
“For us, it is of utter importance that within the Normandy format Emmanuel Macron attaches great importance to the security and humanitarian bloc of the Minsk agreements,” emphasized I. Herashchenko.
The Ukrainian politician informed that as of today 144 hostages were illegally detained on the temporarily occupied territories of Donbas, including civilians and military persons.
I. Herashchenko said, “Within the humanitarian subgroup, we are ready to transfer 309 people to free 87 Ukrainians whose place of detention is confirmed”.
In the course of the meeting, the security situation in the East of Ukraine was also discussed. Iryna Herashchenko thanked the French colleagues for their decision to pay a working visit to Donbas and informed that after the agreed truce the intensification of shelling in Donbas decreased significantly. According to I. Herashchenko, representatives of SRDLO continue to systematically violate the silence regime.
The First Deputy Chairperson of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine noted that the UN peacekeeping mission was extremely important for resolving the situation in Donbas.
“Ukraine has long emphasized the need to deploy a UN peacekeeping mission in Donbas, however to achieve specific goals, the mission should be located throughout the Ukraine-uncontrolled part of Donbas, including the relevant area of the Ukrainian-Russian state border”, said I. Herashchenko.
In the course of the meeting the situation with the violation of human rights in the temporarily occupied Crimea was also discussed. Iryna Herashchenko informed the French colleagues that the Russian Federation employed repressive policy to locals of the peninsula.
The First Deputy stressed that searches were regularly conducted on the peninsula, after which the pro-Ukraine locals were criminated for made-up charges. So, the politician informed about the Ukrainian activist Volodymyr Balukh, who was illegally held for his pro-Ukrainian position.
Moreover, Iryna Herashchenko paid attention of the French colleagues to the arrogant decision of the Crimea occupying power regarding the Deputy Chairman of the Majlis of the Crimean Tatar people Ahtem Chiigoz, who was sentenced to eight years imprisonment for participating in the meeting to support of the Ukraine’s territorial integrity in front of the Supreme Council of the Crimea on February 26th, 2014.
She thanked her French colleagues for keeping the anti-Russian sanctions on and stressed the need for the even increased sanction pressure. “Since Moscow does not show any real progress either in the East of Ukraine or in the Crimea, the further pressure upon Russia, including extension of the ongoing sanctions and introduction of the new ones, continues to be relevant,” underscored I. Herashchenko.
Special attention was paid to the key reforms on the agenda of the Ukrainian Parliament.
The First Deputy Chairperson of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine informed the French senators that on September the 5th, the Parliament of Ukraine adopted the law of Ukraine “On Education” (registered under No. 3491-d), which launched the education reform.
Iryna Herashchenko stressed that the Parliament should continue to work for reforms in other areas, “We expect that we start the pensionary, education and medical reforms during this session”.
Also, the First Vice-Speaker informed that Ukraine keeps on implementing the judicial reform and decentralization. “These reforms remain to be among priorities for Ukraine, and we highly appreciate the support of France therein. We are interested in continuing the dialogue on these issues, where France plays an active role”, noted I. Herashchenko.
The representatives of the official French Senate
delegation noted in turn that France remained a reliable partner for Ukraine
and would continue to provide support to the state.
The President Herve Maurey and the Vice-President of the French Senate France-Ukraine Friendship Group stated jointly that France would continue to support the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine, and condemned the one-man illegal visits of some French senators to the temporarily occupied Crimea.