Parliaments of the Council of Europe countries should recognize Russia as a terrorist – Stefanchuk at the Crimean Platform
Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Ruslan Stefanchuk called on the parliaments of the countries that are members of the Council of Europe to recognize the Russian Federation as a terrorist state.
He stated this at the plenary session of the First Parliamentary Summit of the International Crimean Platform, which is taking place today in Zagreb, Croatia.
He reminded that the full-scale war unleashed by the Russian Federation has already provoked catastrophic consequences: thousands of lives and infrastructure have been destroyed, global food and energy crises have been created. The Kremlin is using nuclear blackmail.
Stefanchuk clarified that the Russian Federation cannot advance on the battlefield, and therefore arranged missile terror and destroys critical energy infrastructure to break the resistance of Ukrainians.
– Here I would like to thank the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe… for adopting a resolution on October 13, in which the Russian Federation is called a terrorist regime. PACE was the first organization to recognize Russia as a terrorist state, that is, to call a spade a spade. We very much hope that the parliaments of the member states of the Council of Europe and, finally, all those who respect and profess the principles of international law and peaceful coexistence will make the same decisions,” Stefanchuk stressed.
He also noted that Ukraine would continue to need the support of international partners despite the incredible heroism of Ukrainian soldiers and citizens. As only joint efforts can stop the aggressor and restore the territorial integrity of our state.
– We have to state that the Russian Federation is committing genocide against Ukraine and the Ukrainian people, accompanied by war crimes, crimes against humanity, brutal disregard for international law and numerous human rights violations,” Stefanchuk reminded.
According to him, it is very important that today the international community is discussing the situation on the peninsula. Stefanchuk said that repressions continue there not only against Crimean Tatars, but against all those for whom human rights and freedom of speech are not empty words. In Crimea, the Ukrainian church is being destroyed, local residents are being persecuted, the freedom of peaceful assembly is being restricted, and people are being enforced disappearances.
The Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada also called on the participants of the summit to create support groups for the Crimean Platform in their countries, following the example of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, as well as the legislative bodies of Lithuania and Latvia.
As you know, on October 13, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) adopted a resolution recognizing the regime in Russia as terrorist.
Source: YouTube channel of the Crimean platform