Secretary General Marija Pejčinović Burić has met the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, and key personalities during her visit to Ukraine on 3 April.
The Secretary General expressed the Council of Europe’s full solidarity and support to Ukraine in the face of the ongoing Russian aggression, highlighting concrete steps in the area of accountability.
“The Organisation is prepared to play a leading role in the establishment of a register to record and document evidence and claims of damage, loss, or injury because of the Russian aggression in Ukraine. The register is an important part of current international initiatives to set up a compensation mechanism for Russia’s crimes of aggression”, she said.
The President and the Secretary General also discussed the situation of Ukrainian children forcibly deported to the Russian Federation, and the possible contribution of the Council of Europe to address this major concern. They finally discussed the preparations for the upcoming Fourth Summit of the Heads of State and Government in Reykjavik (16th-17th May).
President Zelenskyy and the Secretary General took part in a ceremony at Yahidnyanska School to mark one year of the liberation of the Chernyhiv Region. The Secretary General saw the infrastructure and residential buildings destroyed by Russian troops, as well as the school where the occupiers kept the locals.
[Credit: Office of the President of Ukraine]
“On the example of this school, you saw a real concentration camp and the terrible consequences that the Russian aggression has brought to Ukrainians – from babies to the elderly,” Volodymyr Zelenskyy emphasized.
“Russia’s disregard for people’s lives and its determination to inflict destruction and human sufferings are unspeakable. Yahidne has been liberated thanks to the bravery and determination of Ukrainian fighters, a step towards the just goal of a free Ukraine. The Council of Europe will continue to stand by Ukraine for as long as it takes, until this goal is achieved, and justice is done”, underlined Marija Pejčinović Burić.
The Secretary General also met Deputy Prime Minister Olha Stefanishyna, Deputy Speaker of the Parliament Oleksandre Kornienko, First Deputy Foreign Minister Emine Dzheparova, and Prosecutor General Andriy Kostin. Discussions focused on the implementation of the new Action Plan for Ukraine “Resilience, Recovery and Reconstruction” (2023-2026), taking into account Ukraine’s EU candidate status.
