24 October 2024

Press conference was held with the participation of the Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, Ruslan Stefanchuk, and the Speaker of the Saeima of the Republic of Latvia, Daiga Mieriņa, within the framework of the Third Parliamentary Summit of the Crimea Platform

As part of the Third Parliamentary Summit of the Crimea Platform, which began today in Riga, a joint press conference was held with the Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, Ruslan Stefanchuk, and the Speaker of the Saeima of Latvia, Daiga Mieriņa. During the event, topics concerning international support for Ukraine were discussed, with a particular focus on further consolidating international efforts to counter Russian aggression and the importance of systematically documenting the crimes of the occupiers.

Ruslan Stefanchuk emphasized that the Parliamentary Summits of the Crimea Platform are becoming larger each year, attracting more representatives from various countries and expanding the geographical reach of participants. 

“The special feature of this year’s summit is the broad participation of representatives of the Indigenous Crimean Tatar People and deputies of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine. This is an important signal that the issue of Crimea and the fate of the Crimean Tatars remains at the center of international attention. One of the key aspects was addressing European parliaments with a call to support resolutions recognizing the 1944 deportation of the Crimean Tatar people as an act of genocide. Latvia was the first to do this, followed by the parliaments of Poland, Canada, Lithuania, and Estonia. We are deeply grateful for this,” said Stefanchuk.

Ruslan Stefanchuk also thanked all summit participants for adopting a joint statement that strongly condemns the aggression of the Russian Federation and underscores the need for systematic documentation of the crimes committed by the occupiers. He drew particular attention to the discussion of the Victory Plan presented by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on October 16, which outlines concrete steps to achieve peace and restore justice.

In her speech, Daiga Mieriņa, the Speaker of the Saeima of the Republic of Latvia, noted that despite the significant expansion of the Crimea Platform’s activities following Russia’s full-scale aggression in 2022, the issue of Crimea remains central to the efforts of the international community. She emphasized that this serves as a reminder that Russia’s aggression against Ukraine began in 2014, and justice can only be achieved through the complete liberation of all occupied Ukrainian territories. 

“Crimea was the starting point, and its return to Ukraine remains our goal. At the same time, we must recognize that the consequences of Russian aggression extend beyond Ukraine’s borders. Russia continues to divide, influence, and intimidate through disinformation and even subversive operations in our countries. Therefore, we must provide all necessary support to bring Ukraine closer to victory while simultaneously limiting Russia’s ability to undermine democracy and the rule of law elsewhere.”

The Speaker of the Saeima of Latvia also emphasized that Russian aggression has not and will not achieve its goals, and Ukraine will not be left alone.

“We stand together with you, and we will continue to stand together until Ukraine’s victory.”

At the conclusion of the press conference, the leaders reaffirmed their shared stance on the inevitability of justice and the necessity of the complete liberation of Ukraine’s occupied territories, including Crimea.