Ruslan Stefanchuk met with Damien Cottier, Rapporteur of the PACE Monitoring Committee
Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Ruslan Stefanchuk met with Damien Cottier, Rapporteur of the Monitoring Committee of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, who is on a working visit to Ukraine.
During the meeting, Ruslan Stefanchuk thanked Mr Cottier for his consistent support of Ukraine and the PACE's attention to the reforms that the state continues to implement even in times of war. "The Ukrainian parliament remains an open platform for political forces, and democratic processes remain unshakable even in times of war," the Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada stressed.
The parties discussed the consequences of russia's massive nighttime missile and drone attacks on Ukraine's civilian and energy infrastructure. Ruslan Stefanchuk stressed that such strikes once again demonstrate the terrorist nature of the aggressor state and its deliberate desire to deprive millions of Ukrainians of basic living conditions on the eve of winter. He called on the international community to respond decisively to these war crimes.
The Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada also informed about the decisions taken to increase the transparency of the parliament's activities - the resumption of broadcasts of plenary sessions and online openness of the work of parliamentary committees. "Ukraine remains committed to European values, democracy and the rule of law. We highly value our partnership with the Council of Europe, whose assessments and recommendations are an important benchmark on our path to the EU. I am grateful to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe for supporting the Ukrainian people in their struggle for freedom and justice," Ruslan Stefanchuk concluded.