Council of Europe Congress issues declaration on separatist tensions in Ukraine and neighbouring countries
Strasbourg, 17 October 2014 – The Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe adopted a declaration on separatist tensions in Ukraine and neighbouring countries on 16 October, at its 27th session held in Strasbourg (France).
The Congress had already condemned the annexation of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol by the Russian Federation in a declaration made at its previous session in March 2014. In the latest declaration "condemns Russia’s military intervention in the east of Ukraine, and condemns all forms of pressure by Russia on its neighbours".
"The security of this continent is seriously threatened by the Russian Federation’s repeated failure to comply with international rules and the principles and values of the Council of Europe that it signed up to when it joined the Organisation", states the text presented by Marc Cools (Belgium, ILDG) on behalf of the Congress Bureau.
The Congress also reiterated its "support for the initiatives and activities of the Secretary General of the Council of Europe and its other bodies aimed at promoting a peaceful settlement in Ukraine".
The declaration was adopted following a debate lasting some three hours, in which the speakers included: Vyacheslav Nehoda, First Deputy Minister of Regional Development of Ukraine, Valeriu Chiveri, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and European Integration of the Republic of Moldova, Oleksii Reznikov, Deputy Mayor, Chairman of Kyiv City Council, Tengiz Shergelashvili, Deputy Minister for Regional Development and Infrastructure of Georgia, and Fikrat Mammadov, Minister of Justice of the Republic of Azerbaijan.
The Congress has two chambers, the Chamber of Local Authorities and the Chamber of Regions. It brings together 318 full and 318 substitute members representing more than 200 000 European territorial communities. |
Last Updated on Tuesday, 21 October 2014 11:10 |