First Vice Speaker Oleksandr Korniienko met with President of PACE Tiny Cox

Press Service of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Secretariat
07 November 2022, 21:20

On the first day of the working visit to the French Republic, First Deputy Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Oleksandr Korniienko held a working meeting with President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe Tiny Cox.

The parties discussed bringing the russian federation, as a terrorist country, to justice for the crimes committed in Ukraine, the issue of respect for human rights and democratic standards, which is systematically violated by the russian federation, as well as current and further cooperation between Ukraine and PACE.
Firstly, the First Vice-Speaker expressed gratitude to the Parliamentary Assembly “for the support of the independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine and the relevant decisions adopted in the framework of the Assembly after the beginning of the full-scale aggression of Russia against Ukraine”. In particular, it concerns the PACE decision to expel the russian federation from the Council of Europe during an extraordinary meeting of the Assembly on March 14-15 this year and the decisions to ensure russia’s responsibility for its aggression against Ukraine and the recognition of the current russian regime as a terrorist one.

At the same time, Olexandr Korniienko gave a positive assessment of Ukraine’s recent cooperation with PACE, “which, of course, is an important component of international efforts to counter gross violations of human rights in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine”. He also expressed confidence that further cooperation will bring positive results in the fight against the aggressor.

In addition, the First Vice-Speaker noted that the monitoring bodies of the Council of Europe and other international organizations will find opportunities to assess on a regular basis the human rights situation in Crimea and the temporarily occupied territories, in accordance with their mandates and in accordance with the principles and norms of international law, with full respect for the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of Ukraine.
For his part, PACE President Tiny Cox stressed that the referendums held by russia in the temporarily occupied Ukrainian territories are illegal, which was recognized by the Parliamentary Assembly itself: “All such decisions and actions of russia are invalid and contrary to international law – this is a powerful signal of the Council of Europe to the whole world”. He also added that the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe will make every effort to assist Ukraine in the investigation of crimes committed by russia against Ukraine, particularly, in the establishment of the International Special Tribunal.

In conclusion, the First Deputy Chairman of the Parliament stressed that the principled position of the PACE on condemning the ongoing aggression of the russian federation is extremely important for Ukraine, as russia continues to shell the territory of Ukraine, killing civilians and destroying infrastructure facilities, and refuses to create humanitarian corridors to save civilians. He summed up that Ukraine needs PACE’s support in establishing the International Special Tribunal for the Crimes of Aggression against Ukraine and the mechanism of compensation for damages caused by russia.
Also, during the meeting, First Vice-Speaker Oleksandr Korniienko handed over to the PACE President a children’s drawing made in the framework of the all-Ukrainian flashmob “Children of Ukraine – for Peace”, organized by the Educational Centre of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine.