The second summit

The second summit of the Crimean Platform took place on August 23, 2022. For security reasons, due to the constant shelling of Ukrainian cities by the Russian army, the Summit was held online, with the arrival of Polish President Aleksander Duda.

Compared to last year, when the Crimean Platform was inaugurated during the First Summit in Kyiv, all the threats associated with the occupation of Crimea have only become more acute and real, so the focus of the Second Summit was the use of occupied Crimea in the full-scale invasion that Russia launched on February 24, 2022.

The geography of the Crimean Platform is increasingly expanding: a number of countries and international organizations have joined. We continue to expect high-level representatives from different continents, which will emphasize the interregional nature of the Platform. The high involvement of the Crimean Platform in this year’s events confirms the readiness of the partners to actively work on the de-occupation of Crimea and to resolve all the problematic issues related to the occupation.

The Second Summit of the Crimean Platform was held. International partners, representatives of foreign countries, NATO, the UN, the European Council, the European Commission, the Council of Europe, the OSCE, the Organization of American States and GUAM expressed their full support for the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of Ukraine within its internationally recognized borders, and emphasized the need to de-occupy Crimea.

The participants of the Summit condemned the actions of the Russian Federation, which violates all possible norms of international law: illegal occupation and total militarization of Crimea, violation of the rights of the Crimean Tatar people, full-scale invasion of Ukraine, grave crimes against Ukrainians, as well as creation of economic, energy and food crises in the world and instability in the Black Sea region.

Highlights from the second summit of the Crimean Platform:

• The International Crimean Platform, established a year ago, has been working hard to restore the power of international law. Last year’s inaugural Summit was attended by delegations from 46 foreign countries and international organizations, and this year’s summit brought together representatives of 60 states and international institutions, including those from Africa and South America that had not previously participated in the activities of the CP;
• The Crimean Platform has two additional areas of work, which include a strategy for the restoration of Crimea and a legislative framework after the de-occupation of the peninsula.
• The Crimean Platform summit became a platform for the international community to discuss the issues of the temporarily occupied Crimea, ways of its de-occupation and the role of the occupation of the peninsula in 2014 on the full-scale aggression of Russia against Ukraine;
• The scenario of the illegal occupation of Crimea became a “manual” for the further invasion of Ukraine by Russian troops. The aggressor country turned the peninsula into one of the most militarized areas of Europe;
• Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine was largely made possible by the international community’s insufficient response to the violation of international law in 2014. That is why it is necessary to create a new system of relations that will guarantee the peaceful coexistence of all countries;
• In the Joint Statement adopted at the end of the Summit, the participants called on Russia to immediately withdraw its troops and equipment from the territory of Ukraine, including the Crimean peninsula, to stop serious crimes against Ukrainians and persecution of Crimean Tatars, and to release all political prisoners.

The participating countries emphasized the courage of the Ukrainian people and confirmed that they will continue to support Ukraine in its fight against the Russian aggressor, provide the necessary political, humanitarian and/or military assistance.