Pia Kauma delivers remarks at the Second Parliamentary Summit of the Crimea Platform in Prague, 24 October 2023PRAGUE, 24 October 2023 – The international community must remain steadfast in supporting Ukraine and defending common values, OSCE Parliamentary Assembly President Pia Kauma (Finland) said today at the Second Parliamentary Summit of the International Crimea Platform in Prague. Established in 2021, the Crimea Platform was initiated by Ukraine to reverse the 2014 annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation and restore Ukraine’s territorial integrity.
Addressing the Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, Ruslan Stefanchuk, Speakers of Parliament from some 55 countries and presidents of multilateral parliamentary organizations, Kauma underlined the importance of fostering connections between parliamentarians and building long-term political support for a just peace in Ukraine.
“The OSCE Parliamentary Assembly has been an outspoken supporter of Ukraine for the past decade,” President Kauma said. “We have never shied away from speaking our mind. We have repeatedly condemned the clear and gross violations of the Helsinki Final Act by the Russian Federation. We have always called for the full respect of Ukraine’s independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity within its internationally recognized borders.”
The President highlighted the recent establishment of the OSCE PA’s Parliamentary Support Team for Ukraine, which was created by a decision of the Standing Committee last July to ensure that the Assembly is more responsive to the needs of colleagues in Kyiv. Several members of the Parliamentary Support Team attended the Crimea Platform, including Chair of the OSCE PA’s human rights committee, Lucie Potuckova (Czech Republic), Yevheniia Kravchuk (Ukraine), and Mark Demesmaeker (Belgium). Secretary General Roberto Montella participated as well.
In her remarks, President Kauma expressed support for the Joint Declaration of the Participants of the Second Parliamentary Summit of the International Crimea Platform, adopted today. The Declaration “reaffirm[s] the unwavering support for Ukraine’s sovereignty, independence, unity, and territorial integrity within its internationally recognized borders, recognizing Ukraine’s inherent entitlement to self-defence against a war of aggression carried out by the Russian Federation.”
For the full text of Pia Kauma's speech, please click here.
Video of the event in Prague is available here.
