Ukrainian parliament calls on world to adopt resolutions in support of Crimea Platform

The Verkhovna Rada, Ukraine's parliament, has adopted a resolution calling on international organizations to adopt resolutions in support of the Crimea Platform and to support the establishment of the Crimea Platform Interparliamentary Coordination Council.

According to an Ukrinform correspondent, 283 MPs voted for resolution No. 5775 "On the appeal of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine to the United Nations, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, the BSEC Parliamentary Assembly, the European Parliament, on strengthening international cooperation within the Crimea Platform to counteract the aggression of the Russian Federation" at an extraordinary meeting of the Verkhovna Rada on August 23.

"The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine [...] calls on the UN General Assembly to adopt a resolution to support the Crimea Platform as a tool to consolidate international efforts aimed at deoccupying the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol and restoring Ukraine's territorial integrity, as well as to call on UN member states to join the work of the Crimea Platform in all dimensions," the appeal reads.

The Verkhovna Rada also made a similar appeal to the PACE and the European Parliament.

The Ukrainian parliament also emphasizes the importance of developing a unified and consolidated position of the international democratic community in counteracting Russian aggression against Ukraine and calls on friends and partners of the Crimea Platform to initiate the establishment of the Crimea Platform Interparliamentary Coordination Council.

It is expected that it will coordinate efforts at the interparliamentary level in the field of development and compliance with the policy of non-recognition of the annexation of the Crimean Peninsula by the Russian Federation; exercise parliamentary control over the imposition of sanctions against the Russian Federation as the aggressor state and the occupying power, its officials, individuals and legal entities involved in the illegal occupation and attempted annexation; coordinate the positions and steps of the participating states of the Crimea Platform within international organizations, at international conferences, forums and other events during the consideration of issues of deoccupation and restoration of the territorial integrity of Ukraine.

According to Ukrainian lawmakers, such a coordination council should strengthen the interparliamentary community and unite efforts to protect the rights and freedoms of the civilian population in the temporarily occupied Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol. It is expected that it will facilitate parliamentary control over the implementation of projects aimed at overcoming the economic and environmental consequences of the Russian occupation of part of Ukraine.

The Verkhovna Rada also calls on the parliamentary institutions of international organizations and foreign parliaments to strengthen interparliamentary cooperation within the Crimea Platform in order to consolidate efforts and exert international political and diplomatic pressure on the occupying power - the Russian Federation - to protect democratic ideas and values.

At the same time, Ukrainian parliamentarians call on the international community to refrain from supporting the actions and initiatives of the Russian Federation, directly or indirectly aimed at counteracting the activities and development of the Crimea Platform.

The appeal also emphasizes the importance of maintaining the international policy of non-recognition of the Russian Federation's attempt to annex Crimea and the city of Sevastopol, preventing the violations by the occupying power and its occupation administrations of international law, fundamental rights, freedoms and interests of Ukrainian citizens, and guaranteeing security in the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov.

It is emphasized that the Verkhovna Rada condemns coercive passportization by the Russian Federation of Ukrainian citizens in the temporarily occupied territories, does not recognize Russian passports issued there and calls on foreign partners not to recognize these documents and increase pressure on Russia and demand that it stop illegal passportization.

The Verkhovna Rada also calls on foreign partners to increase their political, diplomatic and economic pressure on the Russian Federation in response to violations of international law, as well as to find ways to overcome the criminal activities of the occupying power and its occupation administrations in military, political, economic, environmental, cultural, and religious spheres of the region.

The Verkhovna Rada in its appeal expresses support for the implementation of domestic projects aimed at ensuring the deoccupation and reintegration of the temporarily occupied territory of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol, protecting and restoring the rights of Ukrainian citizens living in the temporarily occupied territory or forced to relocate to other regions of Ukraine, as well as strengthening the resilience of the southern regions of Ukraine.

The Ukrainian parliament again demanded that the Russian Federation fulfil its international obligations in full and withdraw its armed formations from Ukraine, including those over which it exercises direct or indirect control, withdraws arms and military equipment, cease the criminal practice of changing the demographic population of the temporarily occupied territories of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol, systemic human rights violations, including the violation of the rights of indigenous peoples, including the right to preserve cultural heritage and freedom of religion, as well as ending war crimes and crimes against humanity and returning to Ukraine full control over its territory within internationally recognized borders.

Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Dmytro Razumkov must immediately send the text of the Verkhovna Rada's appeal to the UN, PACE, the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, the BSEC Parliamentary Assembly, the European Parliament, and the governments and parliaments of foreign states.

The speaker has also been instructed to take measures to establish the Crimea Platform Interparliamentary Coordination Council.

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