During a working visit to the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, the First Deputy Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine took part in the Conference of Speakers of the Parliaments of Small European States. “We call on all civilised countries to recognise the horrors committed by russia as acts of terrorism. The russian federation has no plans to stop and will continue its brutal war against Ukraine, killing civilians, destroying lives, turning them into nightmares for every Ukrainian. This war has shown that the world will not allow russia to win and will do everything possible to stop it. The contribution of both large and small countries is very valuable,” Oleksandr Korniienko said at the beginning of his speech.
The return of all our children is a full-fledged component of Ukraine’s victory
The First Vice-Speaker noted that since 24 February 2022, as of today, more than 1,516 children have been killed or wounded (490 killed and 1,026 wounded). But these figures do not take into account the situation in the occupied territories. “The mass forced deportation of children is a crime and genocide,” said the First Vice-Speaker, adding that russia has already illegally deported 19,499 Ukrainian children – 373 children have been returned home so far. “The russian federation is diligently concealing the whereabouts of our children, changing their names and citizenship, deporting them to remote regions and adopting them without the consent of their relatives,” he said.
In addition, the First Deputy Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine stressed that the systematic and planned nature of russia’s actions is obvious: “Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, the invaders have been systematically taking children from orphanages or schools, separating families during filtration and killing parents.” He stressed that the return of all our children is a full-fledged component of Ukraine’s victory, as well as one of the elements of the implementation of the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyi’s peace formula.
At the same time, Oleksandr Korniienko said that on 30 May, the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyi opened the Child Protection Centre in Kyiv, where a multidisciplinary interagency team of law enforcement, criminal justice, child protection, medical and psychological professionals works.
The First Deputy Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine invited representatives of the countries present to participate in the work of the International Centre for the Return of Children.
Recognition of the Holodomor as genocide of the Ukrainian people – restoration of historical justice
In conclusion, the First Deputy Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine called on parliaments to adopt resolutions or relevant acts recognising the Holodomor of 1932-1933 as genocide of the Ukrainian people. He expressed his gratitude to the President of the Chamber of Deputies of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, Fernand Etgen, for the decision: “This step restores historical justice and honours the memory of millions of victims.” At the same time, the official delegation of Luxembourg handed over to the First Vice-Speaker the relevant resolution on the recognition of the Holodomor of 1932-1933 as genocide of the Ukrainian people.
Oleksandr Korniienko proposed to hold the next conference in Kyiv
In conclusion, the First Deputy Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine proposed to hold the next Conference of Speakers of the Parliaments of Small European States in Kyiv. The participants agreed to consider this possibility. On behalf of the Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Ruslan Stefanchuk and the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyi, he also invited all the participants to pay working visits to Ukraine – to become honorary guests and, in particular, to visit the Child Protection Centre.
For reference. The Conference of Speakers of the Parliaments of Small European States is the largest meeting of parliamentarians from nine European countries: Andorra, the Republic of Cyprus, Iceland, Liechtenstein, the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, the Republic of Malta, the Principality of Monaco, Montenegro and the Republic of San Marino. Since 2006, this annual meeting has been a platform for strengthening inter-parliamentary relations between the participating countries and agreeing on common positions in international organisations and on key issues on the international agenda.
This year’s Conference was attended by the Vice-President of the General Council of Andorra, the Speaker of the Parliament of Cyprus, the Vice-Speaker of the Icelandic Assembly, the President of the Landtag of Liechtenstein, the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives of Malta, the President of the National Council of Monaco, the Speaker of the Parliament of Montenegro and the President of the Chamber of Deputies of Luxembourg.