Ruslan Stefanchuk: I call on the Council of Europe to actively respond to russia's actions aimed at maintaining the war and destroying the world order
05 July 2022, 18:34
Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, Ruslan Stefanchuk, met with the Secretary-General of the Council of Europe, Marija Pejcinovic Buric, during the International Conference on the Reconstruction of Ukraine in Lugano, Switzerland.
He thanked Marija Pejcinovic Buric for the Council of Europe's support of Ukraine, especially for the decision of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe to suspend the membership of the russian federation in the organization.
"This is real support felt not only by Ukraine but by the entire civilized world. We hope that your specific example will be supported by many other organizations still hesitating for some reason and trying to find a dialogue with russia. In our opinion, this is an absolutely wrong way," Ruslan Stefanchuk noted.
He noted that Ukraine is working hard to comply with the principles of the Council of Europe. For example, the Parliament recently approved the Istanbul Convention, which is a great victory in terms of human rights.
According to him, in this area, the issue of women's and children's rights, which are most violated during the war, has become especially important for Ukraine.
"Today, tens, sometimes hundreds of thousands, of Ukrainian men and women are being forcibly deported from the occupied places of Ukraine to the russian federation. In this direction, we hope for strong political and practical support from international organizations because these are Ukrainian women and Ukrainian children who must return to Ukraine," urged the Speaker of the Parliament of Ukraine.
In addition, Ruslan Stefanchuk offered the Council of Europe to react to the latest decisions of russia, which "does not stop either in its war or in producing solutions aimed at maintaining the war and destroying the world order."
Ruslan Stefanchuk called the submission of a bill to the State Duma of the russian federation, stating that the russian federation can add any parts of other countries to its territories, one of such odd decisions.
"This terrible precedent destroys the entire world order system at the legislative level. Your leaders and working bodies could express their views on each such bill so that the position of the Council of Europe is clearly understood," urged the Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine.
In the end, he emphasized again that "Ukraine was and remains committed to the principles and values ??of the Council of Europe, and will always adhere to them regardless of whether there is a war in Ukraine or we live in peacetime. Because values ??and principles matter to us."
For her part, the Secretary-General of the Council of Europe, Marija Pejcinovic Buric, welcomed the decision of the Swiss Confederation and Ukraine to unite to organize such a large-scale Conference for the restoration of Ukraine.
"We are doing everything from different sides to support Ukraine. And this joint meeting and our synergy are also critical given that Ukraine's needs are urgent," Marija Pejcinovic Buric noted, adding that the Council of Europe was one of the first institutions to react to the war unleashed by russia against Ukraine quickly and unitedly.
According to her, russia's intentions in this war are already apparent: "destroy human lives, destroy life in general, destroy infrastructure, destroy and erase," and the task of the whole world, and the Council of Europe as well, is to stop the war in the center of Europe in the 21st century.
"We did everything we could and are doing everything we can for Ukraine to show our support, which is great," Marija Pejcinovic Buric emphasized.
She also expressed admiration for the legislative process, which the Ukrainian Parliament does not stop, despite the war.