The Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Ruslan Stefanchuk met with the President of the Assembly of the Republic of North Macedonia Afrim Gashi
First of all, the Speaker of the Ukrainian Parliament congratulated Afrim Gashi on his election as the President of the Assembly of the Republic of North Macedonia.
The Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine informed his colleague about today's russian missile attack on a children's hospital in the capital of Ukraine, showing him a photo from the scene of the non-human crime and emphasising the importance of further military support from international partners. "This morning, putin has once again demonstrated to the whole world what peaceful negotiations with Ukraine mean to him," the Speaker of the Ukrainian Parliament said.
At the same time, Ruslan Stefanchuk noted the importance and significance of the assistance to Ukraine in the military-technical sphere provided by North Macedonia.
The parties also raised the topic of Ukraine's path to NATO membership. "This is our only goal. And it is important for Ukraine to get decisions that will bring Ukraine closer to the Alliance. It is also extremely important to strengthen our defence capabilities, in particular through additional air defence systems," he said.
Ruslan Stefanchuk called on Afrim Gashi, as the Speaker of the Parliament of a NATO member country, to continue to take an active part in helping Ukraine on its path to membership in the Alliance.
Taking this opportunity, the Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine invited the President of the Assembly of the Republic of North Macedonia to personally participate in this year's third Parliamentary Summit of the Crimean Platform, which will be held on 23-24 October in the capital of Latvia – Riga.
In conclusion, Ruslan Stefanchuk asked Afrim Gashi to recognise the Holodomor of 1932-1933 in Ukraine as genocide against the Ukrainian people. "A number of European parliaments and the European Parliament have already adopted resolutions on the Holodomor, recognising it as genocide or a crime against the Ukrainian people. For us, this is a fact of historical justice," the Speaker of the Ukrainian Parliament stressed.