“Deployment of the UN peacekeeping mission over the Donbas, the plight regarding protection of the human rights in the occupied territories of Ukraine and their reintegration are the key topics for the Ukrainian delegation at the 73rd session of the UN General Assembly,” – Iryna Herashchenko
Iryna Herashchenko, the First Deputy Chairperson of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, the Presidential envoy on a peaceful settlement of the Donetsk-Luhansk clash, as part of the official delegation headed by the President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko, is in New York, USA, where the 73rd session of the General Assembly of the United Nations kicked off on September 25th.
She clued up the President of Ukraine had conducted yesterday a range of important meetings with Donald Tusk, the President of the European Council, Andrej Kiska, the President of Slovakia, and Kurt Volker, the United States Special Representative for Ukraine Negotiations.
During the meetings, the sides discussed the intensification of cooperation with Ukraine's international partners, in particular in the field of national security and defense, the status of implementation of the Minsk agreements, the prospects for the deployment of a multinational peacekeeping mission under the auspices of the United Nations, the issue of strengthening the OSCE SMM’s role in monitoring observance of the human rights in the occupied territories of Ukraine.
The Head of the State urged Ukraine’s international partners to make heavier the pressure on Russia to immediately release all Ukrainian political prisoners, including Oleh Sentsov, Roman Sushchenko, Volodymyr Balukh and many others.
Particular attention was paid to the topic of the occupied Crimea. During a meeting between the Ukrainian President and Kurt Volker, the United States Special Representative handed a symbolic printed copy of the United States Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s statement, dated July 25, 2018, declaring clearly and unequivocally the position of the United States regarding the non-recognition of the illegal annexation of the Ukrainian Crimea by the Russian Federation.
Ukraine’s international partners point out the importance of extension of the Law of Ukraine "On special procedure of local self-governance in certain districts of the Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts" for further work over the political and diplomatic settlement of the situation in eastern Ukraine and strengthening sanctions against the Russian Federation.
The Head of the Ukrainian State, delivering his UN speech, highlighted the need of deploying a UN peacekeeping mission in the Donbas.
At the same time, P.Poroshenko noticed that Russia obdurately opposes the peacekeepers, because "it expresses fears that the peacekeepers will see the Russian military and military equipment throughout the occupied territory. They are also afraid of losing control of the Ukrainian-Russian border area, which the Kremlin holds to ensure continuous infiltration of its troops into the Donbas," said Petro Poroshenko.
During his speech, the Head of the State also observed the need for UN reforming to improve its effectiveness in peacekeeping activities.
President Petro Poroshenko together with his wife Maryna Poroshenko and representatives of the official delegation of Ukraine met with the leaders of the Ukrainian community in the USA and thanked for the strong support of the joint struggle for Ukraine’s freedom and independence, and highly appreciated their efforts in recognition of the Holodomor of 1932-1933 as a genocide of the Ukrainian people.
During his meetings with the leaders of the Ukrainian community, the President of Ukraine bestowed high government awards on them.
In addition, Petro Poroshenko informed the representatives of the Ukrainian community about the state of implementation of trade, economic, cultural and humanitarian reforms in Ukraine, and expressed his hope that in the near future Ukraine would receive the Tomos of Autocephaly of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.