21/06/2016 Political Affairs and Democracy
The Political Affairs Committee of the PACE regrets that “against a deteriorated security situation and in the absence of a sustainable ceasefire, there has been no progress in the implementation of the political aspects of the Package of Measures for the Implementation of the Minsk Agreements”.
In adopting a draft resolution on the basis of the report on the Political consequences of the conflict in Ukraine by Kristýna Zelienková (Czech Republic, ALDE), the parliamentarians reiterated their support for a peaceful solution to the conflict and for the Minsk process and called on the Russian Federation “to withdraw its troops from the territory of Ukraine and stop military supplies to the separatists”.
The Committee reaffirmed its commitment to the territorial integrity of Ukraine “within its internationally recognised borders”. It regretted that, despite the continuing refusal of the international community to recognise the annexation of Crimea by Russia and the ongoing application of various types of sanctions against Russia and Russian citizens, “not only has the annexation not been reversed, but the human rights situation in the peninsula is continuously deteriorating”.
“Only a democratic Ukraine with stable, efficient and accountable democratic institutions will be a strong and prosperous Ukraine capable of stopping external aggression and restoring peace”, underlined the parliamentarians who also called on the Ukrainian authorities to “resolutely combat all forms of corruption, including at the highest political level, to react positively to the opinions of the Venice Commission and to ensure that the procedures relating to the violent incidents during the Maidan demonstrations as well as to the tragic events in Odessa of May 2014, be accelerated and carried out impartially”.
The European Union should also draw its own lessons and reflect upon strategies for the future of the region to de-escalate current tensions and help build confidence in its neighbourhood.
The Assembly, for its part, could serve as a unique platform for inter-parliamentary dialogue and co-operation but has so far been unable to play its natural role of parliamentary diplomacy, mainly due to the fact that Russian parliamentarians have not participated in its activities for two consecutive years. The Political Affairs Committee therefore calls upon the Russian parliament to engage in a constructive dialogue with the Assembly in mutual respect.
The parliamentarians welcomed the release of one of their colleagues, Nadiia Savchenko, and of other prisoners, and reiterated their call for the release of all captured persons.