OSCE delegation arrives in Kyiv for first time in eight years: responsibility for Russia’s crimes and assistance to Ukraine discussed. PHOTO
A delegation of permanent representatives of the OSCE participating states arrived in Kyiv for a two-day visit for the first time since 2016.
This was reported by Censor.NET with reference to Suspilne.
The delegation includes the ambassadors of Austria, Canada, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Iceland, Malta, Norway, Poland, Slovenia, Slovakia, Switzerland, and France, as well as the deputy heads of mission of Estonia, Lithuania, Liechtenstein and the Czech Republic.
As noted, on 1 July, OSCE representatives met with Deputy Head of the Presidential Office Ihor Brusil. They discussed the organisation's involvement in overcoming the consequences of Russia's aggression and the issue of bringing Russia to justice.
The next day, the delegation paid tribute to the victims of the Russian attack on Kyiv on 17 June, when 23 people died as a result of the collapse of an entrance in the Solomianskyi district.
Finland's Ambassador to the OSCE Vesa Hakkinen noted that it was important for the ambassadors to see the consequences of Russia's attacks on civilian objects. He stressed that the OSCE is working every day to help Ukraine, including in the areas of European integration, documentation of Russian crimes and the return of deported children.
Ukraine's Permanent Representative to the International Organisations in Vienna, Yurii Vitrenko, called the visit symbolic on the eve of the 50th anniversary of the Helsinki Final Act and stressed that Russia was blatantly violating all its principles.
German Ambassador to the OSCE Susanne Schütz noted that the organisation works with those who have returned from Russian captivity, supports humanitarian demining, reforms and European integration processes in Ukraine.
According to Hakkinen, the OSCE does not impose any decisions on Ukraine, and future initiatives, including the establishment of a monitoring mission after the war, are possible only at the request of the Ukrainian side.
