Organised jointly by the Czech and Ukrainian parliaments, this parliamentary conference is a follow-up to the first parliamentary summit of the Crimea Platform held in Croatia in 2022, which was attended by then National Council President Irène Kälin (The Greens, AG).
Markéta Pekarová Adamová and Ruslan Stefanchuk, the speakers of the Czech and Ukrainian parliaments respectively, chaired the plenary session. The session focused on the contribution that parliaments can make within the Crimea Platform’s five priority areas: a policy of non-recognition, sanctions, human rights, security and freedom of navigation, as well as the economic and environmental consequences of the occupation of Crimea. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy appeared via videoconference.
In their speeches, Mr Candinas and Ms Herzog condemned the annexation of Crimea, which violates international law, and called on Russia to immediately cease military aggression and completely withdraw its troops from Ukrainian territory. They also expressed Switzerland’s concerns regarding the human rights situation, including Russia's obligation to respect international human rights law as an occupying power, and reiterated Switzerland's commitment to lasting peace in Ukraine.
At the end of the conference, the participants adopted a joint declaration condemning the illegal occupation of Crimea. The parliamentary summit was also an opportunity for Mr Candinas and Ms Herzog to hold bilateral meetings and exchange information with their counterparts present in Prague.
The Crimea Platform is a Ukrainian initiative to keep the international community’s attention focused on the political situation in Crimea. It aims to enhance the coordination and effectiveness of the international response to the occupation of Crimea.
Parliamentary relations between Switzerland and Ukraine are characterised by regular exchanges and meetings, which have intensified further since Russia's military aggression. In April 2022, Ms Kälin, then President of the National Council, as well as National Council members Roger Nordmann (PS, VD), Nik Gugger (EVP, ZH) and Yves Nidegger (SVP, GE) visited the Ukrainian Parliament in Kyiv to demonstrate Switzerland's support for the Ukrainian people. And, in July 2022, a large parliamentary delegation from Switzerland led by Ms Kälin took part in the Ukraine Recovery Conference in Lugano, where Swiss and Ukrainian parliamentarians were able to discuss the status of the parliamentary reform process in Ukraine and its central role in the country's recovery.
Participants at the second parliamentary summit of the international Crimea Platform (Photo: Parliament of the Czech Republic)
National Council President Martin Candinas is received by Markéta Pekarová Adamová and Ruslan Stefanchuk, speakers of the Czech and Ukrainian parliaments and organisers of the conference (Photo: Parliament of the Czech Republic)
National Council President Martin Candinas and Vice President of the Council of States Eva Herzog during the plenary session
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy addressed the participants at the parliamentary summit of the international Crimea Platform via videoconference (Photo: Parliament of the Czech Republic)