Iryna Herashchenko pointed out the importance of the statement approved today by the Parliament against attempts to return the powers to the Russian delegation to the PACE without implementing the Assembly’s resolutions and the Minsk agreements’ commitments by Russia (Resolution No. 9089)
The First Vice-Speaker explained that this statement condemned attempts to change the PACE regulations, so that Russia could participate in the Assembly’s work without accomplishing the said resolutions and commitments.
I. Herashchenko noted that a similar document had been recently adopted by the Lithuanian Parliament, "which testifies the fact that there are international partners of Ukraine who are ready and will stand up for the European values, not allowing Russia to destroy international institutions through their lobbyists".
Afterwards, she informed that the issue of non-fulfillment of the Minsk accords’ obligations by Russia would also be broached this day in Bishkek (Kyrgyzstan), where an OSCE PA meeting takes place. In addition to Donbas security issues, the Ukrainian delegation will bring up the problem related to the release of hostages and political prisoners of the Kremlin. The representative of the TCG’s humanitarian subgroup reminded that the Ukrainian side has for six months not received any official response to its proposal for a simultaneous swap of Russian criminals convicted in Ukraine for crimes against Ukraine’s territorial integrity and the Kremlin’s political prisoners - Oleh Sentsov, Volodymyr Balukh, Roman Sushchenko and others.
The politician also drew attention to the Russian occupants’ intent to hold the so-called elections throughout the temporarily occupied territories of the Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts of Ukraine. The said action is thought to substantially complicate the political and diplomatic settlement of the situation in the east of Ukraine. Iryna Herashchenko recalled that in 2014, when the similar “Donbas elections” had been held, that move brought a sizeable uptick in hostilities there resulting in thousands of new deaths.
"Today, Moscow is actually trying to repeat the 4-years-ago scenario, yet complicating the process of peaceful negotiations," said I. Herashchenko.