At the Conciliation Board on July 1, the first vice-speaker I. Herashchenko condemned the statements of some factions’ leaders concerning activities of the Permanent Delegation of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe at its June session.
"In harness with colleagues from different factions, we have selflessly defended Ukraine's interests in Strasbourg. Representatives of the Ukrainian delegation received thousands of supporting letters from the people of Ukraine, and we do thank God that the people have proved to be much wiser than some Ukrainian politicians," I. Herashchenko stated.
She then reminded that Ukrainian parliamentarians had managed to do everything to make the PACE Regular Committee forward the Venice Commission the issue of powers of the Russian delegation. She emphasized that a part of the Russian deputies were elected in the temporarily occupied territory of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and in the city of Sevastopol.
The first vice-speaker also congratulated the international media on paying high attention to this session of PACE.
Iryna Herashchenko reminded that the Russian delegation had tried hardly to reinstate its powers in the Assembly and avoid sanctions, but thanks to the common position of all political forces, cooperation with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine and the Presidential Administration the Ukrainian deputation to PACE succeeded in resisting those intentions.
"We believe that we are able today to withstand the destruction of PACE provided we continue the fight, not sitting idle instead," said I. Herashchenko.
The first vice-speaker put a special stress upon the issue of moving the forces apart nearby Stanytsia Luhanska and the Government’s intention to visit the Luhansk region on July 2.
"I humbly request that the ministers communicate with the citizens who are crossing the dividing line daily and convey to representatives of the presidential office (OPU) that our citizens from the occupied territories do understand Ukrainian," said I. Herashchenko, and stressed that she had been immensely surprised by the statement of an OPU representative that only the Russian language should be used for communication with the Donbas.
"Ukrainians throughout the Donbas do know, do understand and do communicate in Ukrainian perfectly well, and the policy of reintegration of the Donbas, including the humanitarian policy for these territories, requires a deep respect to the language of Ukraine," I. Herashchenko declared.
The First Deputy Chairperson of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine I. Herashchenko also called on the National Television and Broadcasting Council of Ukraine to unblock the license for the FM Army radio station. She reminded the importance of further working of this radio voice and noted that the station’s signal also used to reach the Ukraine-uncontrolled territories of the Donbas.
Iryna Herashchenko put them in mind that, in accordance with the Minsk documents, in realization of the Minsk complex measures there should be used a holistic approach, and then stressed that it had been the Russian side who did block the implementation of the Minsk agreements.
The politician also noted that, in accordance with the framework decision, the opposite side should step back the line stipulated by the Memorandum of September 19, 2014, including removing the fortification, which stands presently nearby the Ukrainian part of the "Stanytsia Luhanska" checkpoint.
"We must demand that alongside pulling apart the forces, the Russian troops be withdrawn from Debaltseve, so that it returns under Ukraine’s control," said I. Herashchenko.
The first vice-speaker appealed to the President of Ukraine to broach the issue of introducing a peacekeeping mission in the Donbas and to establish control over the Donbas part of ??the Ukrainian-Russian border during the EU-Ukraine Summit to be held on July 8.
Iryna Herashchenko also expressed her conviction that the Ukrainian side should appeal to the OSCE to establish an observation point for the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission nearby Stanytsia Luhanska, where the forces are in the process of separation. "The above OSCE point should work around the clock to monitor violations of a truce regime," I. Herashchenko emphasized.
Iryna Herashchenko also informed the audience about her participation in the Women Political Leaders Summit 2019 last week in Tokyo, where there had been discussed the goals of sustainable development and ways to achieve them, involving women to politics, business, and many other issues of gender equality.