15 September 2023, 09:15
The meeting was chaired by the Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Andrii Yermak.
This is not the first meeting in this format to discuss important issues of restoration and post-war reconstruction of Ukraine. The previous time, the agenda included the problems of Kherson region, and now it is Kharkiv region.
“The new format of the Congress Presidium meeting, which is attended by more than 200 participants, including 115 representatives of Kharkiv region, helps to better understand the issues of each region,” said Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Andrii Yermak.
The meeting was also attended by the Prime Minister of Ukraine Denys Shmyhal, members of the Government, heads of the Military and Civil Administration, representatives of local self-government and international partners of Ukraine.
For his part, the Prime Minister of Ukraine Denys Shmyhal noted that the government’s priority remains rapid reconstruction. He said that, in particular, UAH 3.6 billion has been allocated to restore settlements and residential and public infrastructure in Kharkiv region.
“Every day we hear about the attempts of the occupation forces to advance further into Ukraine. Kharkiv region, in particular, Kupiansk, remains the place where russians are concentrating their efforts to break through Ukraine’s defences,” the Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine stressed first of all.
At the same time, he noted that this causes significant damage to both the population living in these territories and the civilian infrastructure of the region in general. “Due to russia’s large-scale aggression, the basic constitutional rights of Ukrainian citizens to education, healthcare, labour and social protection, and in some places, to an adequate standard of living, are under threat,” Ruslan Stefanchuk stressed.
The Speaker of the Parliament of Ukraine also stressed that, despite all the difficulties, Ukraine, as a social and legal state, has no right to allow this to happen, which is why it is necessary to continue working to solve urgent problems to restore life in the frontline regions using available means and mechanisms.
In conclusion, the Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Ruslan Stefanchuk expressed his belief that such an open format as the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities under the President of Ukraine and direct interaction between all stakeholders will yield positive results.