New Zealand joins Crimea Platform declaration

New Zealand's Ambassador to Ukraine Mary Thurston has passed a note from the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade to the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry on her country's joining the joint declaration of the Crimea Platform, the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry has reported.

According to the report, Ukraine's Deputy Foreign Minister Yevhenii Yenin met with the ambassador on the occasion of the completion of her diplomatic mission in Ukraine.

During their meeting, Thurston passed a note from the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade on her country's joining the joint declaration of the Crimea Platform.

Yenin thanked New Zealand for its consistent support of Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity and expressed gratitude to Ambassador Thurston for her important contribution to the development of bilateral relations. He also thanked for her participation in the inaugural summit of the Crimea Platform in Kyiv on August 23.

Noting the high level of cooperation within international organizations, both diplomats also discussed topical issues of cooperation between the two countries, cooperation in countering global challenges, including the COVID-19 pandemic, cyberattacks and hybrid threats.

Yenin proposed starting talks on the mutual recognition of COVID-19 vaccination documents and the facilitation by New Zealand of the visa regime for Ukrainians.

Finally, Yenin wished Thurston success in her future endeavors.

The Crimea Platform summit took place in Kyiv on August 23. The summit participants adopted a joint declaration reaffirming their support for Ukraine's territorial integrity, condemning the temporary occupation of Crimea, the militarization of the peninsula, violations of human rights and freedom of navigation in the region, and urging the Russian Federation to constructive participation in the platform.

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