The Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Ruslan Stefanchuk held a series of meetings during the first day of the Conference of the Presidents of the EU Parliaments in Prague, Czech Republic
24 April 2023, 15:12
In particular, the Chairman of the Ukrainian Parliament met with his colleagues from the Kingdom of Spain, the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg and the Republic of Bulgaria.
Ruslan Stefanchuk expressed his deep gratitude to the speakers for the steady support of Ukraine by their countries and parliaments since the first days of the full-scale invasion of russia, for constant communication and cooperation within the framework of interparliamentary diplomacy.
The Chairman of the Ukrainian Parliament called on his colleagues to strengthen such support for Ukraine, in particular, in its full membership in the EU. He said that at the 24th EU-Ukraine Summit, Ukraine had presented its progress in implementing the recommendations of the European Commission and was now awaiting a decision and support from the EU member states to start pre-accession negotiations with our country this year.
“I will also be very grateful if your countries support Ukraine in our Euro-Atlantic progress. We are looking forward to the summit in Vilnius, where we expect to make a number of decisions on our common future in the Alliance and reach a consensus of its members in support of our application for NATO membership,” Ruslan Stefanchuk urged his European colleagues.
In addition, the leaders of the parliaments discussed the implementation of the peace formula of President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyi and the patronage of European countries over its selected points, the creation of a special tribunal for russia for war crimes committed in Ukraine, the genocide of the Ukrainian people, support for further sanctions policy against the aggressor, etc.
Moreover, the Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine invited his fellow speakers to participate in the II Parliamentary Summit of the International Crimean Platform, which will be held this October in Prague.
During the meeting, the President of the Spanish Congress of Deputies, Meritxell Batet Lamana, stressed that Spain supports Ukraine in its struggle and strongly condemns russia’s attack on an independent and free country.
“We understand that this is a struggle not only of the
Ukrainian people. This is a war for our
principles and the principles of the global world. Spain is geographically far
away, but we feel close to Ukraine. And we clearly speak about Ukraine’s
integration into the EU and support its future,” said the President of the
Spanish Congress of Deputies.
She also noted that Spain, as one of the 43 countries that are members of the International Criminal Court, fully supports Ukraine’s initiative to create a special tribunal for russia and its leader putin.
“There must be accountability. It is time to say to russia: ‘Enough is enough! You have to respect international laws and the rule of law’. And today, the international community must act together on this issue, because together we are strong,” said Meritxell Batet Lamana.
The President of the Chamber of Deputies of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, Fernand Etgen, expressed powerful and sincere words of support for Ukraine and assured his Ukrainian counterpart that Luxembourg has been, is and will be side by side with Ukraine until our complete victory.
“We admire your bravery, your courage and determination. And we are one hundred per cent with you. Luxembourg is also confident that justice will prevail, so it fully supports your initiative to bring the perpetrators to justice and to establish a special tribunal for russia. I am confident that we will win this war not only with weapons, but also with the law.
The fact that you are here with us today means that you already belong to the European family. You are defending our values on the frontline, and it is our duty to help you in every way possible to become a full-fledged member of the EU,” Fernand said.
Rosen Zhelyazkov, the Chairman of the National Assembly of the Republic of Bulgaria, for his part, noted that Ukraine has already demonstrated leadership to the world in its desire to fight for its independence and freedom.
“Today, the whole world is at stake, not just Ukraine.
And our support must continue until the very end of this aggression, which must
end with the victory of the Ukrainian people.
We firmly believe that justice must be restored, and the aggressor must be not only sanctioned, but also fully condemned. The doctrine of the ‘russian world’ is the greatest threat to the world that has emerged since the Second World War. Therefore, we must demonstrate all our strength based on the principles of the democratic order in our counteraction,” Rosen Zhelyazkov emphasised.