Crimea Platform Parliamentary Summit participants adopted joint declaration

The First Parliamentary Summit of the International Crimea Platform participants adopted a joint declaration condemning, among other things, grave and systematic human rights violations and abuses on the Crimea Peninsula.

This was reported the Verkhovna Rada's press service on Telegram.

"According to the First Parliamentary Summit of the International Crimea Platform results, the participants adopted a Joint Declaration," the message specifies.

With this declaration, the summit participants, in particular, condemned the severe and systematic violations of human rights and abuses on the Crimean peninsula, the illegal attempt by the russian federation and its proxies to falsify democratic tools and mechanisms, such as the recent so-called referendums in the regions of Ukraine.

With this declaration, the summit participants also condemn the long-term militarization of the Crimean peninsula of the russian federation and the attempt to export stolen Ukrainian grain illegally; obstacles to the realization of the rights and freedoms of navigation by international law, and a long-term change in the demographic structure in the temporarily occupied Crimea through the resettlement of russians and the expulsion of pro-Ukrainian activists from the peninsula.

The declaration states that the summit participants intend to continue political, diplomatic, financial, humanitarian, and other support to Ukraine in accordance with the procedures and legal jurisdiction of each participant to restore the territorial integrity of Ukraine within its internationally recognized borders while increasing pressure on russia to stop its temporary occupation of Crimea.

The summit participants also intend to implement at the parliamentary level the decisions of the Constituent Summit of the International Crimea Platform by consolidating joint efforts, including by fully implementing and strengthening the policy of non-recognition of the illegal annexation of Crimea and cooperation in international forums and constantly strengthening the effectiveness of existing restrictive measures against russia and readiness to consider their further expansion in compliance with the relevant procedures and jurisdiction of each participant, if the development of events in Ukraine requires such actions.

Among other things, the summit participants intend to implement at the parliamentary level the decision of the Constituent Summit of the International Crimean Platform by consolidating joint efforts and by promoting regional security and protecting freedom of navigation, and respect for human rights and international humanitarian law; by overcoming the negative impact of the temporary occupation of Crimea on the economy, cultural and educational rights of Ukrainians and indigenous peoples, including indigenous Crimean Tatars, and on the environment.

They are also going to consider effective and coordinated actions in the sphere of the economy and the environment aimed at mitigating the consequences of the temporary seizure of Crimea; the issue of creating a permanent interparliamentary committee of the International Crimean Platform, which could provide expertise to national and international partners, inform both at the national level and at international platforms about the real situation in the temporarily occupied Crimea; to call on the russian federation to immediately stop ongoing efforts to change the demographic structure of the temporarily occupied Crimea by resettling russian citizens and to advocate at the national level the necessary political, diplomatic, humanitarian, financial and other support for Ukraine – a victim of russian aggression.

Summit participants will work with international parliamentary assemblies, such as the European Parliament, PACE, OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, NATO Parliamentary Assembly, Black Sea Economic Cooperation Parliamentary Assembly, and the Arab Parliament, with the aim of adopting resolutions in support of the Parliamentary Summit of the International Crimea Platform as a tool for consolidating inter-parliamentary efforts aimed at the Crimea de-occupation and the city of Sevastopol, as well as the restoration of the territorial integrity of Ukraine.