Co-Chairs of Ukraine - Poland Parliamentary Assembly sign Joint Statement following Parliamentary Assembly's IX meeting

JOINT STATEMENT

following the IX meeting

of the Parliamentary Assembly of Ukraine and the Republic of Poland

Lviv, December 3, 2016

On December 2-3, 2016, the city of Lviv hosted the IX meeting of the Parliamentary Assembly of Ukraine and the Republic of Poland, at the end of which the Parties:

• acknowledged important role of the parliaments of the two countries in development of Ukrainian - Polish relations aimed at enhancement of European solidarity on the basis of joint values and respect to the sovereignty of the two states;
• confirmed their intention to develop relations of strategic partnership on the basis of principles mentioned in the Agree Agreement on Good Neighbourship, Friendly Relations and Cooperation signed in Warsaw on May 18, 1992;
• noted that on December 2, 1991, the Republic of Poland was the first of all states to acknowledge the independence of Ukraine and has since showed its consistent support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity, as well as European and Euro-Atlantic integration of Ukraine;
• noted that the occupation and illegal annexation of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol, as well as armed aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine are rude violation of commonly recognized and fundamental principles of the international law, brutal ignoring of the international obligations taken by the Russian Federation in compliance with the UN Statute, Helsinki Final Act of 1975 and other international agreements;
• condemned unprecedented level of systemic and purposeful infringement of human rights in the territory of temporarily occupied Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol as well as some districts of Donetsk and Luhansk regions of Ukraine;
• pointed out the importance of agreed actions of European states aimed at countering the hybrid war of the Russian Federation against all the democratic countries;
• called on the world community to retain the sanctions against the Russian Federation as the aggressor state;
• drew attention to high level of cooperation and mutual support of Ukraine and Poland within the framework of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), OSCE Parliamentary Assembly and other international organizations. Against this background, Ukraine thanks Poland for its support to the PACE Resolution entitled Political Consequences of the Conflict in Ukraine dated October 12, 2016 as well as the Resolution of the UN Parliamentary Assembly entitled On Human Rights Situation in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the City of Sevastopol;
• confirmed further support of the Republic of Poland to efforts of Ukraine to restore its territorial integrity within the internationally recognized borders;
• supported Ukraine's European and Euro-Atlantic aspirations, which are integral sovereign right of the Ukrainian people;
• called on the Government and the Parliament of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to take positive decision on the process of ratification and enactment of the Ukraine - European Union Association Agreement;
• noted the importance of the speediest introduction of the visa-free travels for Ukraine by European institutions;
• drew particular attention to the prospect of cooperation of the Carpathian region's countries taking into consideration geographic interests (Carpathian Convention) as well as cooperation within the framework of the Eastern Partnership;
• pointed out the necessity for interparliamentary cooperation in different formats aiming to deepen strategic partnership relations between our states;
• recommended that respective parliamentary committees hold joint meetings;
• recommended that border and customs services ensure joint operation of the border checkpoints;
• recommended that national railways consider introduction of the Kyiv - Krakow - Paris route;
• recommended commencement of negotiations on cooperation in exploration of space;
• welcomed the agreement to launch individual information visits of members of the Ukrainian Parliament to the Sejm of the Republic of Poland;
• supported activity of the Ukrainian - Polish Council in exchange of youth and declared readiness to assist in allocation of budget funds for implementation of Council's projects;
• welcomed adoption of the Declaration of Memory and Solidarity by the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine and the Sejm of the Republic of Poland of October 20, 2016. The document has become an important step in the process of Ukrainian - Polish understanding of mutual historic events and confirmed good will of the parties to provide joint assessment of the events of the joint historic past;
• called for further joint historic analysis of the events;
• condemned any manifestations of discrimination, xenophobia or other types of intolerant and biased attitude to the Ukrainians in Poland and the Poles in Ukraine, inter alia the facts of vandalism against national symbols and memorials important for our states;
• confirmed their readiness to assist in popularization of joint heroic chapters of the history as well as joint tragedies of our peoples in order to further strengthen the atmosphere of friendship, mutual understanding and historic reconciliation between our peoples;
• drew attention to the importance of actions of the two states and cooperation aiming to improve and properly equip military and civil cemeteries in the territory of Ukraine and Poland, in particular, the tombs related to joint armed feat of 1920 — the tombs of the Ukrainian People's Republic in Poland and the tombs to the soldiers of the Polish Armed Forces in Ukraine;
• supported establishment of the Polish - Ukrainian Cooperation Center;
• agreed to launch the work on organizing in 2017 a solemn meeting of members of the Ukrainian Parliament and the Sejm of the Republic of Poland dedicated to the 25th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Ukraine and the Republic of Poland and signing of the Agreement on Good Neighbourship, Friendly Relations and Cooperation;

The next (X) meeting of the Parliamentary Assembly of Ukraine and the Republic of Poland in the territory of Poland is scheduled for the first half of 2017.

O.SYROYID

Co-Chair of

the Parliamentary Assembly of

Ukraine and the Republic of Poland

R.TERLECKI

Co-Chair of

the Parliamentary Assembly of