Andrii Parubii, the Chairperson of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine met with ambassadors of the G7 states, accredited in Ukraine. A.Parubii extended appreciation to all of the states for their assistance in gaining the visa free regime, for the G7’s special representative on reforms to be appointed, and for the positive assessment of Ukraine’s progress in the reforms. ‘Receipt of the visa free travel – is quite a big deal for Ukraine,’ he said. ‘Not only technically – crossing borders – is it important, but also it is a matter of symbolic value – since everyone who was then standing on the Maidan, was first of all for coming back to the European family of nations’.
The Parliament’s head informed the diplomats of the developments of recent months in eastern Ukraine, which had given a sheer demonstration that ‘Moscow does profess a mere ignorance of all and any international arrangements including Minsk accords’. ‘The past months have shown escalation of the conflict and the hired guns’ hostilities. The most killing thing is that those attacks slay civilians,’ stressed A.Parubii, having cleared that within a matter of a fortnight of that May four civilians had been killed by a Russian shell, and eight ones had been injured. Quite a negative signal was too the Kremlin’s decision to pronounce valid the sham docs of so-called LPR/DPR; every humanitarian convoy entailed escalation of fighting in eastern Ukraine. A.Parubii accentuated that Ukraine had been and was committed to a peaceful solution to the conflict.
In his speech of the Ukrainian reforms, the chairperson noted there were plenty of spheres needed to be changed, thought the Parliament’s chief aim – stabilization of current affairs in the state – the Verkhovna Rada did keep.
The meeting parties exchanged their views on the key issues to be legally regulated.
The Italian ambassador, having praised the forced pace of the reforms in Ukraine and the close cooperation, called on to a wider public involvement in the reforming and enhancing of the Parliament’s liaison part in advocacy and control over the reforms.
The parties set out the state’s development priorities with a special accent on energy-saving technologies and industrial energy efficiency, health care, the occupied territories; signing of the Istanbul Convention to protect the women’s rights and oppose violence; the Parliament’s reforms.
In his election greetings to the French people, the Parliament’s chairperson noted France had set an example of fighting corruption by wiping off the venal politicians from the presidential race. ‘The French nation displayed a mere rejection of this rusting effect,’ underlined he, having then added ‘and Ukraine has only finished its first annual step in setting a nationwide anti-graft net – the way full of challenges and trials; public registers and tenders have detected the would-be ‘snake pits’ of rotten grafters; the National Agency on Corruption Prevention and the National Anti-corruption Bureau of Ukraine have been established; the laws approved are in progress; electronic declaration has been implemented’.
Thomas Frellesen, Deputy Head of Delegation of the European Union to Ukraine praised adoption of the ecology and electricity laws, having voiced thereupon his hopes for next consideration of the housing and communal services and energy-efficient consumption bills. ‘The European Union is ready to support such reforms with one million euros,’ he accented.
The Chairperson of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine extended thanks for the discussion and had his say for more frequent multilateral gatherings with representatives of foreign diplomatic corps.