07 June 2017, 12:15
Iryna Herashchenko, the First Deputy Chairperson of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, met with Matthias Zimmer, the Chairman of the Committee on Human Rights and Humanitarian Aid of the Bundestag. I.Herashchenko thanked the Bundestag’s deputy for the valuable assistance to Ukraine on its path of the reforms, having noted our country highly praised the Germany’s active position in the Normandy format and the efforts to a peaceful settlement in Donbas.
Giving a view of the humanitarian situation in the occupied territories, the First Deputy Chairperson stressed that the international organizations had no access to the lands. ‘Owing to the monitoring and humanitarian missions’ activities having been blocked by the occupants, violations of human rights in the Crimea and the SRDLO’s territories are poorly echoed in their reports,’ underlined I.Herashchenko.
The First Vice-Speaker made aware of the permanent mass repressions against Crimean Tatars, closure of Ukrainian media, and total pressing of Ukrainians and Crimean Tatars – and journalists, in particular – for their pro-Ukrainian position in the Crimea. Other gruesome violations of human rights there proved to be a mass involving of children and teenagers in the warfare and sexual aggression in Donbas. The politician informed of the illegal detention of teenagers in the Donetsk’s remand center.
‘Ukraine has been firmly opposing to drawing in children into the conflict. We possess dozens of facts of the involvements by SRDLO’s militants for the checkpoint activity; teenagers are taught in the backyard camps, and in Russia as well,’ underscored I.Herashchenko.
She informed the German colleagues in details about the humanitarian subgroup of the Trilateral Contact Group and its activities, setting liberation of the illegally held Ukrainians among the subgroup’s priorities. The subgroup’s representative also informed that Ukraine pressed for immediate implementation of the tools for search of the missing persons elaborated by the International Committee of the Red Cross. But Russia persistently refused to admit that mechanism.
In turn, the Chairman of the Committee on Human Rights and Humanitarian Aid of the German Bundestag Matthias Zimmer noted that Russia, having broken all the rules of international law, had been retiring from the European society. He also made a special reference to Ukraine’s Euro-integration endevours and the reforms.
‘Along the road to European and Euro-Atlantic integration Ukraine could depend upon the Germany’s support, and in the reforms implementation particularly,’ accented M.Zimmer. The Bundestag’s deputy also underlined the great contribution of the inter-Parliamentary links in the supporting Ukraine.