First Deputy Chairperson of The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Ruslan Stefanchuk Participates in the Meeting of the NATO-Ukraine Interparliamentary Council
10 February 2021, 15:36
Ukraine appreciates NATO's strong position on Russia's aggression in Crimea and Donbas. This was stated by First Deputy Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Ruslan Stefanchuk during the meeting of the NATO-Ukraine Interparliamentary Council.
“We are sincerely grateful to all NATO member states for supporting the process of internal reforms in Ukraine. NATO is a community based on shared democratic values, and we fully share that vision. Today, our common task is to strengthen cooperation between Ukraine and NATO, aimed at building a secure Euro-Atlantic space,” said Ruslan Stefanchuk.
However, according to him, the aggressor's violation of the ceasefire in Donbas, the deteriorating human rights situation in the occupied Crimea and the ongoing militarization of the Azov-Black Sea region continue to undermine the security of Ukraine and the entire European region.
“Despite some positive trends, the final settlement of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict remains a rather distant prospect. I am forced to state that the current security situation in the area of this conflict is deteriorating due to the increase in the number of Russian armed provocations and violations of the regime of silence. The ceasefire, introduced on July 22, 2020, has significantly reduced casualties in the conflict area. At the same time, it did not lead to a complete truce,” stressed the First Vice Speaker of the Parliament of Ukraine.
According to him, since the introduction of the ceasefire, 8 Ukrainian servicemen have been killed and 30 wounded. A total of 50 Ukrainian servicemen died in the line of duty during 2020.
The First Deputy Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine expressed hope that NATO member states would not allow Moscow to forget about its obligations as a party to the conflict. In addition, Ruslan Stefanchuk stressed the need to strengthen the reaction of the international community to the occupation of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol and other related violations of international law.
“Ukraine has initiated the creation of the Crimean Platform, which aims to deoccupy Crimea and return it to Ukraine peacefully. In this way, the activities of the Platform will focus on 5 priority areas: non-recognition policy; security, including freedom of navigation; ensuring the effectiveness of sanctions against the aggressor state and their expansion; protection of human rights; overcoming the negative impact of the temporary occupation of Crimea on the economy and the environment,” said Ruslan Stefanchuk. He also spoke about the first summit of the Crimean Platform scheduled for August 23, 2021 in Kyiv. In addition, during the event, the First Vice Speaker of the Parliament of Ukraine proposed to create an informal support group for the Crimean Platform within the NATO Parliamentary Assembly.
“This group can initiate the adoption of separate resolutions on Crimea or the inclusion of relevant provisions on the situation in Crimea and the deoccupation of the peninsula in the decisions of the relevant bodies of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly,” the politician explained.
Ruslan Stefanchuk thanked NATO members for their commitment to the decision taken at the Bucharest Summit that Ukraine would become a member of NATO.