Crimea Platform summit starts

As an Ukrinform correspondent reports, the event is taking place at the Parkovy Exhibition Center.

Before the summit started, the delegations made joint photos. Singer Jamala performed song 1944.

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky previously noted that the Crimea Platform would be the first unified institutional platform to address the most important issues, including humanitarian ones, regarding Crimea which is temporarily occupied by Russia.

Forty-five countries confirmed participation in the summit.

In particular, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Moldova, Slovenia, and Finland will be represented at the level of presidents. The President of the European Council will also take part in the Crimea Platform. Romania, Georgia, Croatia, and Sweden will be represented at the level of prime ministers. Two countries – Switzerland and the Czech Republic – will be represented by the speakers of parliaments. Fourteen countries will attend the summit at the level of foreign ministers: Turkey, France, Germany, Spain, Italy, Belgium, Austria, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Ireland, Denmark, Bulgaria, Montenegro, and North Macedonia. Britain and Portugal will be represented by defense ministers. The U.S. delegation with a presidential status will be represented by the energy secretary. Germany also delegated the energy minister. Norway will be represented by the Secretary of State to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The European Commission will be represented by Vice President Valdis Dombrovskis, NATO – the Deputy Secretary General, the Council of Europe and GUAM will be represented at the level of the Secretary General. Eight countries – New Zealand, Malta, Japan, Australia, Cyprus, Canada, Greece, and Iceland – will be represented by ambassadors.

The Crimea Platform is held under the slogan: "Crimea is Ukraine: Stronger Together."

The Crimea Platform is a new consultative and coordination format initiated by Ukraine to step up the efficiency of international response to the occupation of Crimea, respond to growing security challenges, increase international pressure on Russia, prevent further human rights violations, protect victims of the occupation regime, and achieve the main goal: to de-occupy Crimea and restore Ukraine’s sovereignty over the peninsula.

The Platform is to operate at several levels: heads of state and government, foreign ministers, inter-parliamentary cooperation, expert network.

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