During the second day of the working visit, the Ukrainian delegation headed by the First Deputy Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Oleksandr Korniienko held several meetings.

Firstly, Ukrainian delegates met with temporarily displaced Ukrainians living on the ship MS Isabelle. «We are grateful to Estonia for all the help and especially hospitality for temporary Ukrainian refugees. Ukrainians who live here convey this gratitude to us – to Ukraine, » the First Vice Speaker stressed.

During the visit, the Ukrainian delegation also visited the Freedom School in Tallinn, where more than 500 Ukrainian children study. According to MP of Ukraine Roman Hryshchuk, 60 percent of the education is in Estonian, and forty percent – in Ukrainian: «This is a good example of how a Ukrainian school can exist abroad, where Ukrainian teachers work, and children acquire knowledge of the Ukrainian language». At the same time, he noted that it is worth working to ensure that these children receive Ukrainian diplomas of general secondary education, as well as Estonian ones, and that online learning in a Ukrainian school is not mandatory for them.

Moreover, during the second day of the working visit, the First Vice Speaker together with members of the Ukrainian delegation visited the Museum of Occupation and Freedom VABAMU dedicated to the stories of courage, sacrifice and resistance of the Estonian people during the occupation of the country by the Soviet Union.

During the meeting with the representatives of the Association of Estonian Cities and Municipalities, the Member of Parliament of Ukraine Vitalii Bezhin stressed that there are «three main areas of cooperation that the Ukrainian side sees and fully supports Estonian colleagues». Firstly, it is a joint advocacy of Ukrainian interests in the international arena not only at the level of states, but also directly at the level of municipalities. Secondly, it is practical support of Ukrainian communities that have to go through a difficult winter and the energy crisis period: «That is why the Estonian side is mobilizing European neighbours to massively supply Ukrainian communities with generators and buses, as a large number of public transports of Ukrainian communities went to the front». Thirdly, it is the work to expand the number of twin cities, given the fact that all russian twin cities have been cancelled by the Estonian side.

In addition, a meeting with the Ukrainian diaspora was held at the Embassy of Ukraine in the Republic of Estonia. « 92 percent of Ukrainians, according to the latest poll, see the victory and restoration of the territorial integrity of Ukraine as it was in 1991, » said Oleksandr Korniienko, adding that the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, as well as the President of Ukraine and the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine, are doing everything possible to achieve this goal. He also emphasized that the parliamentary relations between Estonia and Ukraine are at a high level. There is a constant communication between the heads of the parliamentary friendship groups. 

«Huge work continues to be done at all the levels: diplomatic and military. Ukraine’s priorities are unchanged. More weapons, stronger sanctions against russia, accountability of russian criminals for their crimes, Ukraine’s accession to the EU and NATO and post-war reconstruction, » emphasized the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Ukraine to the Republic of Estonia Mariana Betsa. 

«The importance of inter-parliamentary relations lies in the fact that, as a rule, the Parliament represents a wide range of people not only from different political forces, but also from different spheres of economy and employment, which allows establishing diverse ties, » said Arsenii Pushkarenko, the Head of the Group for Interparliamentary Relations with the Republic of Estonia. He added that the Republic of Estonia is active, which gives it the opportunity to be stronger within the EU and NATO due to the initiative, which Ukraine needs support and assistance in. In addition, he informed two objects – kindergarten in Ovruch and bridge in Malyn were already being restored.

Estonia was the first to support Ukraine in all our affairs. It was the first to provide weapons at the beginning of the full-scale invasion, the first to vote for very important decisions in the Riigikogu, the first to provide mobile hospitals, which are extremely necessary to save the lives of our soldiers. And it was the first to start restoring one of the regions – Zhytomyr region, » said the First Deputy Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Oleksandr Korniienko at the end of the second day of his working visit to the Republic of Estonia, expressing hope for the same good cooperation next year.

For reference. The First Deputy Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Oleksandr Korniienko heading the Ukrainian delegation is on a working visit to the Republic of Estonia on December 15-17.

The delegation also includes the Head of the Group for Interparliamentary Relations with the Republic of Estonia Arsenii Pushkarenko, MPs of Ukraine: Vitalii Bezhin, Roman Hryshchuk, Tetiana Hryshchenko and Pavlo Bakunets, as well as the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Ukraine to the Republic of Estonia Mariana Betsa.