The Parties discussed the situation in Ukraine in the sphere of human rights, stressing the problems of Ukrainian citizens in Crimea, on the occupied territory of Donbas, and internally displaced persons.
"Rights and freedoms of this category of Ukrainian citizens shall be preserved regardless of the situation in our country", claimed H.Nemyria. "Fundamental rights and freedoms should not become a victim of political security".
In his turn, Director of Human Rights in the Council of Europe’s Directorate General of Human Rights and Rule of Law, Special Representative of Council of Europe Secretary General in Ukraine Christos Giakoumopoulos expressed his support to Ukraine and claimed the European Council is and will be applying all efforts to help Ukrainian citizens who were affected as a result of non-declared war of the Russian Federation and annexation of Crimea.
The participants of the meeting also discussed mutual efforts for freeing people's deputy Nadiia Savchenko and other prisoners of war and hostages. Hryhorii Nemyria informed about the Address of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine to the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation and the President of the Russian Federation on releasing Ukrainian pilot and people's deputy of the eighth convocation Nadiia Viktorivna Savchenko which was adopted last week.
In his words, this address will help the process of freeing Nadiia Savchenko who is illegally kept on the territory of another country and other Ukrainian citizens who were captured, illegally transported and now are being kept on the territory of the Russian Federation.
A possibility of submitting a new bill on peaceful assemblies in Ukraine to the Verkhovna Rada, prospects of elaborating "Strategy of protecting national minorities in Ukraine" and the status of preparation of strategy of Ukraine on human rights were discussed at the meeting.
Chairperson of the Council of Europe Office in Ukraine, Representative of the Secretary General of the Council of Europe on Coordination of the Council of Europe Cooperation Programmes, Ambassador Vladimir Ristovski and Deputy Chairperson of the Committee Heorhii Lohvynskyi also participated in the meeting.