The second day of the working visit: Ukrainian delegation headed by the First Deputy Speaker Oleksandr Korniienko held a number of important and fruitful meetings
On 23-27 October, the Ukrainian delegation headed by the First Deputy Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Oleksandr Korniienko is on a working visit to the Republic of Angola.
On the second day of the working visit, the delegates held a number of important and fruitful meetings.
First of all, the First Vice-Speaker spoke to journalists and stressed the importance of the role of parliaments in preventing conflicts and finding consensus, as well as informed about the situation in Ukraine and effective steps to address urgent issues. “Together with our colleagues, we continue to focus on supporting and assisting Ukraine and Volodymyr Zelenskyi’s Peace Formula, which will be the key to global security,” Oleksandr Korniienko said.
“We are working to expand the coalition around the Ukrainian Peace Formula and emphasise that the international community must respond promptly and decisively to any aggression on the planet in order to stop it as soon as possible,” said Oleksandr Sanchenko, a member of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Humanitarian and Information Policy.
The Peace Formula of the President of Ukraine, food security and strengthening of interparliamentary relations – a series of meetings of the parliamentary delegation
At the meeting with the G7 Ambassadors, Ukrainian delegates stressed the importance of cooperation with the countries of the Global South in terms of countering russian propaganda narratives and supporting diplomacy in this regard. The parties also discussed resolving the food crisis, the importance of continuing the Grain from Ukraine programme, and the implementation of the President Zelenskyi’s Peace Formula.
During the meeting with the Head of the Thai delegation, the parties discussed strengthening the interparliamentary dialogue by intensifying bilateral contacts between Ukrainian and Thai parliamentarians, in particular, at the level of interparliamentary friendship groups. The First Deputy Speaker informed about the current situation in Ukraine, all the crimes of the russian federation and their consequences. He also emphasised the importance of supporting our country in international arenas, in particular in voting for relevant resolutions in the United Nations.
During the meeting with the President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Community of Portuguese-speaking Countries, Dr Teresa Efua Asangono, Ukraine was invited to become an observer of this organisation. “Our state is interested in establishing cooperation with the Community of Portuguese-speaking Countries, in particular, in the economic, social and cultural spheres with the member states of the organisation, based on respect for the principles of the UN Charter,” said Oleksandr Korniienko. He also stressed that Ukraine is seeking to obtain associate observer status in the organisation and is ready to take the necessary practical steps to achieve this.
During a meeting with the Chairman of the MPLA Parliamentary Group of the National Assembly of Angola, Dr Virgilio de Fontes Pereira, Oleksandr Korniienko stressed the importance of implementing the Peace Formula of the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyi. The parliamentary delegates stressed the importance of implementing all ten points of the Formula, which will bring comprehensive, just and lasting peace to Ukraine and security to the whole world. The parties also discussed food security. The First Deputy Speaker informed about the current situation and actions of the russian federation, in particular, its withdrawal from the agreement, attacks on ports and obstruction of exports. “Ukrainian grain is important to the world. We are aware of this and treat its exports with responsibility,” he said.
Oleksandr Merezhko, the Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Foreign Policy and Interparliamentary Cooperation, said that during the meeting with the Malawian delegation, the Ukrainian delegates thanked for their support in the UN and invited them to join the implementation of the President Zelenskyi’s Peace Formula. The parliamentary delegation appealed to Malawi to recognise the Holodomor of 1932-1933 as genocide of the Ukrainian people.
Events on the sidelines of the 147th Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union
During the second day of the parliamentary delegation headed by the First Vice-Speaker Oleksandr Korniienko, a number of events were held on the sidelines of the 147th IPU Assembly with the participation of Ukrainian MPs.
Oleksandr Sanchenko, the member of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Humanitarian and Information Policy, and Olha Rudenko, the member of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Foreign Policy and Interparliamentary Cooperation, joined the Forum of Young Parliamentarians.
In his speech, Oleksandr Sanchenko spoke about how Ukrainian youth is involved in decision-making and accelerates Ukraine’s victory. It is worth noting that, according to the results of the Inter-Parliamentary Union, Ukraine is among the top three countries in terms of participation of young parliamentarians (under 40).
In her speech on “Reducing the Harm of Trafficking in Orphans”, Olha Rudenko, the member of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Foreign Policy and Interparliamentary Cooperation, noted that at least 20,000 Ukrainian children, many orphans, have been forcibly deported by the russian federation: “They were left without any connection with their homeland, their native language and culture.”
In addition, Oleksandr Merezhko, the Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Foreign Policy and Interparliamentary Cooperation, took part in a meeting of the IPU Peace and Security Committee.
During the meeting of the Forum of Women Parliamentarians, Ukrainian delegates Lesia Vasylenko and Olha Rudenko spoke on the topic of illegal deportation of Ukrainian children by russia. In particular, there was a debate on the resolution “Trafficking in Orphans: The Role of Parliaments in Reducing Harm”, considered by the Standing Committee on Democracy and Human Rights. Following a long and persuasive speech by the Ukrainian MP Lesia Vasylenko, the participants adopted all the amendments to the document made by the Ukrainian side. At the end of the meeting, the IPU Assembly will vote. Delegates from France and the Czech Republic also submitted amendments to the resolution on the deportation of Ukrainian children by russia, but unfortunately, they were not adopted. Nevertheless, the Ukrainian delegates expressed their gratitude to their colleagues for their solidarity and support.
The parliamentary delegation also includes: the Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Foreign Policy and Interparliamentary Cooperation Oleksandr Merezhko, the First Deputy Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Youth and Sports Zhan Beleniuk, the Member of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Environmental Policy and Nature Management Lesia Vasylenko, the Member of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Foreign Policy and Interparliamentary Cooperation Olha Rudenko, the Member of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Anti-Corruption Policy Oleksii Zhmerenetskyi, the Member of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Humanitarian and Information Policy Oleksandr Sanchenko, and Dmytro Shpenov, the Member of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Legal Policy.
For reference. The Inter-Parliamentary Union is a global organisation of national parliaments. Currently, 162 parliaments are members of this organisation.
The Inter-Parliamentary Union is primarily a political forum for members of national parliaments.
It is a unique institution that regularly brings together parliamentarians from all over the world, representing all types of government and the entire spectrum of political parties.