Olena Kondratiuk, the Vice-speaker of the Verkhovna Rada, met with Lauri Hussar, the Speaker of the Estonian Parliament, in Tallinn.
«I am personally grateful to the Speaker and the Estonian Parliament for the historic decision made on 11 February to ratify the partial agreement of the European Council on the establishment of a Steering Committee for the Special Tribunal on russia’s crime of aggression against Ukraine,» – said Olena Kondratiuk.
She emphasised that Estonia was the first country to officially join the Steering Committee of the Special Tribunal, which should ensure the start of its actual work.
«It is very important that russia’s responsibility for crimes against Ukraine would not be forgotten. The aggressor must be punished fairly. We urge our partners to follow Estonia’s example and adopt similar decisions as soon as possible,» – highlighted Lauri Hussar, the Speaker of Riigikogu.
As the Vice-speaker noted, such agreements must be ratified by the parliaments of all countries that have expressed their desire to join the Special Tribunal. In this way, countries confirm their legal, organisational and financial commitments to participate in its work. In January this year, the European Union also allocated the first €10 million for the functioning of the Special Tribunal.
«We expect that Estonia’s leadership and example will encourage other EU countries to ratify the relevant agreements promptly. I will discuss this during my planned meetings with the leaders of the parliaments of Finland and Latvia,» – stressed Olena Kondratiuk.
During the meeting, the parties also noted the creation of a Committee on investigating russian influence by the Estonian Parliament. In particular, this Committee will examine the sources and mechanisms of russian financing, the russian federation’s ties to the public sector, and related threats to national security.
«Ukraine has considerable experience in countering russian influence, disinformation and propaganda operations. We are ready to share this experience and information and to be a trusted partner for Estonia in this area,» – emphasised the Vice-speaker.