Inter-Parliamentary Assembly calls on Russia to stop amassing troops near Ukraine

Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Ruslan Stefanchuk, Marshal of the Senate of the Republic of Poland, and Speaker of the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania Viktorija Čmilytė-Nielsen signed the final document following the 11th session of the Inter-Parliamentary Assembly.

As the Secretariat of the Verkhovna Rada Speaker informs, the document states that the Inter-Parliamentary Assembly of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania, and the Seimas and the Senate of the Republic of Poland condemns the armed aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine and the attempted annexation of Crimea.

The Assembly condemns Russia's illegal census in the occupied Crimea and does not recognize its results. Ukraine, Poland, and Lithuania also do not recognize the results of the illegal elections to the State Duma.

In addition, the Assembly calls on Russia to stop its military aggression against Ukraine, to stop building up military capabilities in the occupied territories and on borders, and to return all temporarily occupied Ukrainian territories.

The document urges the international community to strengthen restrictive measures and sanctions against the Russian Federation until the full restoration of Ukraine's territorial integrity within the internationally recognized borders.

At the same time, the final document condemns the Belarusian authorities for constant and deliberate violations of human rights, the use of illegal migration as a tool to create an artificial migrant crisis on the Poland–Belarus and the Lithuania–Belarus borders. The Assembly calls on the Belarusian regime to immediately release and rehabilitate political prisoners illegally arrested or convicted, to stop the escalation at the border, and to stop the flow of illegal migration through its territory to the neighboring countries.

The Assembly expresses its support for reforms in Ukraine and its commitment to gain membership in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.

As reported, Verkhovna Rada Speaker Ruslan Stefanchuk pays a visit to the Republic of Poland on December 5-6 to take part in the 11th Session of the Interparliamentary Assembly of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania, and the Seimas and the Senate of the Republic of Poland.

Photo credit: rada.gov.ua

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