The First Vice-Speaker Oleksandr Korniienko spoke at the General Debate on the sidelines of the 146th IPU Assembly in Bahrain

Press Service of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine
13 March 2023, 13:30

 

“Intolerance is a scourge that affects our societies. Over the past year, this issue has become much less acute for Ukraine. As russia has escalated its war of aggression into a full-scale genocidal invasion, the Ukrainian nation has witnessed unprecedented unity,” said the First Deputy Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Oleksandr Korniienko in his speech at the General Debate on the sidelines of the 146th Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU).  

He expressed his gratitude to all those “who are fighting for freedom, democracy and peace by joining the defence of Ukraine and helping IDPs”.

“Our society has united against the worst form of intolerance – genocide. We expect the same unity from the world today,” said the First Vice-Speaker, stressing that only on 9 March, when the majority of the Ukrainian parliamentary delegation was on its way to Bahrain, russia fired 81 missiles at Ukrainian civilian targets, killing six people and striking energy facilities, including the Zaporizhzhya NPP. “Since our previous meeting in Kigali, russia has launched more than 500 missiles at Ukraine,” said Oleksandr Korniienko.

In addition, the First Deputy Chairman of the Parliament of Ukraine noted that President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyi proposed a peace formula to establish peace in Ukraine: “It consists of very simple steps – from nuclear and food security to sustainable peace. But first of all, russian troops must be withdrawn from Ukraine, and we must restore our internationally recognised borders of 1991, including Crimea.”

At the same time, Oleksandr Korniienko noted that the world is not doing enough to eliminate intolerance, in particular, by inviting representatives of the russian parliament to discuss the issue of peaceful coexistence: “The parliament that almost unanimously voted to legitimise the aggression and annexation of Ukraine's territories in complete disregard of international law and the UN Charter.”

The First Deputy Speaker called for bringing the russian parliament to justice: “We must suspend their membership until they stop their gross violations of international law and human rights.”

He also noted that one of the main points of the peace formula of President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyi is russia’s responsibility for the crimes committed, the number of which already exceeds 70,000: “This should be achieved by creating a special tribunal for the crime of aggression. This is the only way to prevent impunity and future aggression around the world.”

“The criminals must also pay for their crimes – pay for the restoration of thousands of hospitals, schools, universities, factories and churches destroyed by their artillery and rocket attacks,” said Oleksandr Korniienko, calling for support for the comprehensive compensation mechanism approved by the UN General Assembly.

“russian aggression is a challenge for every person on this planet. This is our common tragedy – we must put an end to it together,” the First Deputy Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine concluded.

For reference. On 11-15 March 2023, the delegation of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine is taking part in the 146th Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (Manama, Bahrain).

The delegation also includes MPs of Ukraine: the Chairman of the Committee on Foreign Policy and Interparliamentary Cooperation Oleksandr Merezhko, the Member of the Committee on Environmental Policy and Nature Management Lesia Vasylenko, the Member of the Committee on Finance, Taxation and Customs Policy Aliona Shkrum, the Member of the Committee on Foreign Policy and Interparliamentary Cooperation Olha Rudenko, the Member of the Committee on Agrarian and Land Policy Artur Herasymov, the Head of the Subcommittee on Anti-Corruption Policy in the Field of Digital Innovations and Public Data of the Committee on Anti-Corruption Policy Oleksii Zhmerenetskyi, the Member of the Committee on Humanitarian and Information Policy Oleksandr Sanchenko.