Council of Europe summit calls on Russia to withdraw its troops from Ukraine, Moldova, Georgia

17.05.2023 19:38

Ukrinform

The heads of state and government of 46 member countries of the Council of Europe have called on Russia to immediately and unconditionally withdraw all its troops from Ukraine, Georgia and Moldova.

That's according to the final document of the Council of Europe summit entitled "Reykjavik Declaration - United around Our Values," Ukrinform reports.

The document states that the heads of state and government of the member states of the Council of Europe gathered in Reykjavík on May 16-17, 2023, "to stand united against Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine and to give further priority and direction to the Council of Europe's work."

It was pointed out that the Council of Europe is a peace project, built on the promise of "never again," a promise that has been fundamentally challenged by Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine. Against this background, the leaders of Europe stated their "resolve to unite around our values and against Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine, a flagrant violation of international law and everything we stand for."

Photo: Council of Europe / Facebook

"We stand in solidarity with those affected by Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine and Russia's aggression against Georgia which we condemn in the strongest possible terms. We call, collectively, on the Russian Federation to comply with its international obligations and to immediately withdraw completely and unconditionally its forces from Ukraine, Georgia and the Republic of Moldova. We reassert our unwavering support for their sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity, within their internationally recognized borders," the declaration said.

The heads of state and government of 46 countries also emphasized that Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine "is not just a violation of international law, but an attack on our democracies."

A two-day summit of heads of state and government of 46 member countries of the Council of Europe was held in Iceland's capital on May 16-17. One of the main issues on the agenda of the summit was the creation of an international register of damages caused by Russia's aggression against Ukraine.