Mr Chairperson, President Nicoletti,

First of all, I would like to welcome you in your capacity of the President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe. The delegation of Ukraine is pleased with your election to this important post.

We congratulate you with the successful holding of the January part-session of the Assembly under your able leadership. We also followed with interest the first meeting of the ad hoc Committee. Its agenda seems to present an ambitious plan to reform the Parliamentary Assembly. In this context, we commend your readiness to address some of the most difficult issues related to the functioning of PACE.

It will not be a secret for any one present in this room that our Delegation pays particular attention to one issue of that agenda.

We took note of the discussion that took place at the meeting of the ad hoc Committee. We also, very much like you, Mr President, do hear calls for dialogue with Russia on the issue of its return to PACE. Indeed, dialogue is a good thing, and so is reflection.

However, we also believe that other calls should be heard in the course of this reflection within ad hoc Committee and beyond. In this regard, we would like to recall PACE resolution 2198 (2018) “Humanitarian consequences of the war in Ukraine”. It was adopted already under your presidency, Mr Nicoletti, and we truly appreciate this.

The resolution contains some useful recommendations addressed to both Ukraine and Russia. In particular, in paragraph 10, the Assembly urged the Russian authorities to “execute in full all the demands contained in Assembly Resolutions 2132 (2016) and 2133 (2016) to stop military aggression against Ukraine and restore its territorial integrity” and to “execute in full all the demands contained in Assembly Resolutions 1990 (2014), 2034 (2016) and 2063 (2015) to ensure the rights of minorities in Crimea”.

Such is the position of the Assembly and it should be heard.

The Delegation of Ukraine wishes you, Mr Nicoletti, every success in ensuring the commitment of PACE to its own values and principles, and maintaining its high institutional credibility. Good luck to you and you can count on our support in this exercise.

Thank you, Mr Chairperson.

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