Twenty-Eight Countries and Organisations Have Already Confirmed Participation in Crimean Platform

As of Wednesday, 28 July, 28 countries and international organisations already confirmed their participation in the Crimean Platform summit scheduled for August, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Dmytro Kuleba said.

“This will be an unprecedented international event, such a large number of countries has never met in Ukraine at the level of presidents, prime ministers, heads of parliaments and members of governments,” the Foreign Minister said.

Russia is now trying to persuade representatives of other countries not to participate in the event but Ukraine opposes these attempts, he noted.

According to the minister, the Crimean Declaration has almost been agreed upon. This is the final document of the summit which will enshrine the fundamentally important provisions for Ukraine. Other countries also joined drafting the declaration.

Kuleba noted that the summit would not be a “one-time” event, so it would be followed by regular work on many levels. In particular, a long-term concept of the Platform’s activity is being prepared in five priority areas:

– Policy of non-recognition of illegal annexation of Crimea

– Sanctions

– Security in the Sea of Azov–Black Sea region,

– Protection of human rights and observance of international humanitarian law

– Environmental and economic consequences of annexation

As a reminder, the summit will be held in Kyiv on 23 August 2021. It will mark the launch of the Crimean Platform, and a brief document will be adopted at the summit to set out the vision of further consolidation of the policy for the de-occupation of Crimea.

Bohdan Marusyak