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“The Ukrainians are fighting for a free, strong, independent country and the future of their children. For Ukraine’s place within the European Union and NATO. This goal is the highest motivation for every Ukrainian soldier who currently fights for our common values and protects our borders,” the Speaker of the Saeima Edvards Smiltēns said after the meeting of the Speakers of the Baltic States, Poland and Ukraine held on Monday, 10 July. The Speaker of the Saeima emphasised that Ukraine has earned its place in NATO and the European Union family.
In preparation for the NATO summit in Vilnius this week, the Speaker of the Saeima Edvards Smiltēns, the Speaker of the Estonian Riigikogu Lauri Hussar, the Speaker of the Lithuanian Seimas Viktorija Čmilytė-Nielsen, the Marshal of the Polish Sejm Elżbieta Witek, the President of the Verhovna Rada of Ukraine Ruslan Stefanchuk, and the President of the German Bundestag Berbel Bas adopted a Joint Statement on support for Ukraine’s security and NATO membership.
During the meeting, the speakers discussed regional security and support for Ukraine on its path to NATO and the European Union. The Speakers agreed that the NATO Summit in Vilnius should bring Ukraine closer to the Alliance.
In the Statement, the Speakers call on the allies to commit to ensuring that Ukraine becomes a NATO member and that the Alliance takes the necessary steps to prepare Ukraine’s path to NATO.
The speakers call for support for the peace formula of the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, which aims to achieve a comprehensive, fair and sustainable peace in Ukraine by enhancing global security. In the Statement, the speakers also underline the need to continue coordinated measures to meet Ukraine’s immediate needs for military and defence equipment.
The parliamentarians also call for assistance to Ukraine in strengthening its defence capabilities and potential until Ukraine fully restores its territorial integrity and sovereignty within the internationally recognised borders of 1991, and to support NATO in providing practical assistance to Ukraine in order to achieve full interoperability of Ukraine with the Alliance and a comprehensive transition to NATO standards.
The Statement highlights the importance of transatlantic unity by calling on allies to take NATO-EU strategic partnership to the next level, including by focusing cooperation on building the security capabilities of Ukraine and other partner countries. The speakers also call for the establishment of a crisis consultation mechanism.
Press briefing:
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Saeima Press Service