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On Monday, 2 February, the participants of the Meeting of the Chairpersons of the Conference of Parliamentary Committees for Union Affairs of Parliaments of the European Union (COSAC) adopted a joint statement on the situation in Ukraine expressing deep concern about the recent escalation of the military conflict in eastern Ukraine.

In the Statement, the participants of the Meeting of the Chairpersons of COSAC strongly condemn the recent indiscriminate shelling of the Ukrainian city of Mariupol leading to the death of 30 civilians, and take into account the decision the extraordinary EU Foreign Affairs Council of 29 January 2015, which noted the evidence of “continued and growing support given to the separatists by Russia, which underlines Russia’s responsibility”.

The joint Statement also calls on Russia to undertake real measures towards de-escalating the crisis in Eastern Ukraine and to comply with the Minsk Protocol, namely by observing a complete ceasefire, by withdrawing Russian armed forces and mercenaries from the territory of Ukraine, by stopping the transfer of weapons and armed combatants across the border from Russia to Ukraine, as well as by enabling Ukrainian authorities to regain full control over its border with Russia.

The participants of the Meeting of the Chairpersons of COSAC reiterate constant support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine within its internationally recognised border, and underline the need for the EU to continue a united non-recognition policy regarding the illegitimate annexation of Crimea.

Furthermore, the Statement welcomes the decision of the extraordinary EU Foreign Affairs Council of 29 January 2015 to extend the restrictive measures targeting person and entities for threatening or undermining Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, and indicates that the following steps in the possible review of the restrictive measures will be completely dependent on Russia’s readiness to respect the requirements of the Minsk Protocol.

In their Statement, the participants of the Meeting of the Chairpersons of COSAC emphasise the right of the Ukrainian people to freely choose alliances they want their country to be part of without intervention of other countries, and underline the overwhelming support the current Ukrainian president and the Parliament have received during the last democratic election. Furthermore, EU parliamentarians encourage the EU, as well as its member states, to provide comprehensive support to Ukraine both financially and politically in order to help to stabilise its economy and implement wide-ranging political and administrative reforms.

In the conclusion of the Statement, the Meeting of the Chairpersons of COSAC encourages Ukraine to continue the process of democratisation, to continue implementation of economic, political, social and judicial reforms, as well as to step up efforts in the fight against corruption, and to ensure the respect of human and fundamental rights. Furthermore, EU parliamentarians expect the Eastern Partnership Summit in Riga on 21–22 May 2015 to assess the progress in implementing the Association Agreements with Ukraine, as well as Georgia and Moldova. The parliamentarians welcome the decision of parliaments who have either already ratified the Association Agreements or declared their intention to do so as a positive signal to keep the ratification process in motion.
A live public broadcast of the proceedings of the Meeting is available on the website of the parliamentary dimension of the Latvian Presidency www.parleu2015.lv. The programme of the event is available at http://parleu2015.lv/files/cosac/en-draft-programme_cosac-chairpersons-3.pdf.

COSAC is organised once every six months by the country that holds the presidency of the Council of the European Union. The Meeting of the Chairpersons of COSAC is attended by the chairpersons of committees for European affairs of the parliaments of all EU member states, as well as by members of the European Parliament. Other officials and experts are also invited to attend. It has become tradition to use the Meeting of the Chairpersons of COSAC not only to discuss the priorities of the presidency and other issues but also to draft the agenda of the Plenary Meeting of COSAC. This year the Plenary Meeting will take place on 31 May – 2 June in Riga.


Saeima Press Service