Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada Ruslan Stefanchuk and Speaker of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey Numan Kurtulmuş discussed the intensification of interparliamentary cooperation.
“The current high level of inter-parliamentary relations is an important component of the common relations between our countries, which is supported by our presidents, governments and peoples,” the press service of the Verkhovna Rada’s apparatus quoted Stefanchuk as saying at a meeting with Kurtulmuş in Ankara on Tuesday.
The two sides also discussed the work of friendship groups and the acceleration of contacts between parliamentary committees, in particular, on international affairs and national security and defense.
Stefanchuk noted Turkey’s role in the creation and activities of the International Crimean Platform and emphasized that he looks forward to Kurtulmuş’s personal participation in the third parliamentary summit of the International Crimean Platform.
“Turkey, which has been supporting Ukraine’s sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity since the first days of the full-scale invasion, is doing enough to achieve a sustainable and just peace,” Stefanchuk said, emphasizing the importance of implementing the Peace Formula of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
He emphasized that Ukraine looks forward to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s participation in the Global Peace Summit in Switzerland.
For his part, Kurtulmuş noted that Turkey supports Ukraine in its struggle for independence and sovereignty.
“We express our support for Ukraine in returning all the occupied territories, not only Crimea, and we stand for a sustainable and just peace,” Kurtulmuş said.
He expressed hope for a speedy end to the war and a transition to the stage of Ukraine’s recovery, in which Turkey will help Ukraine.
As reported, Stefanchuk is on an official visit to Turkey on May 13-15.
The Constitution does not prohibit holding elections during martial law, Verkhovna Rada Chairman Ruslan Stefanchuk has said.
“There is no such prohibition (on holding elections during martial law) in the Constitution. This prohibition is contained in the law of Ukraine “On the legal regime of martial law”. And therefore, as if there is no constitutional prohibition to hold elections during martial law,” – said Stefanchuk in an interview with the TV channel “Rada” in the air of a single telethon.
At the same time, the speaker of the Parliament emphasized that at the moment it is necessary to adhere to the balance.
“On the one hand – yes, the Parliament must continue its work, must adopt the necessary legislative acts. We are entering the budget process and these are very important things. On the other hand we should realize that there should be no stagnation of the democracy that exists in society. And that is why the President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, Mr. Cox, and other colleagues say that it is still necessary to make efforts to implement this,” – said the Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada.
According to him, this issue may be a matter of discussions.
“And I think that we need to make some important decisions on this (issue), so that on the one hand – to ensure stability in the state, so that the state is not torn by elections during the war, but on the other hand – to ensure this flow of democracy, which is what Ukraine is fighting for in principle,” he said.
Asked whether he would support changes to the election law, Stefanchuk said: “Let’s see how this issue will be resolved. But I think it will be updated in the near future.”
As reported earlier, PACE head Tiny Cox said earlier that it was necessary to hold free and fair elections in Ukraine despite the war.
Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Ruslan Stefanchuk will pay an official visit to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland on 27-28 March.
According to the press service of the Verkhovna Rada, the program of the visit includes meetings with members of the British parliament. In particular, Stefanchuk will communicate with Speaker of the House of Commons Lindsey Goyle and Lord Speaker of the House of Lords D.F. McFaul, members of both Houses of Parliament, representatives of the UK-Ukraine Friendship Group and the Conservatives as Friends of Ukraine initiative group.
A number of bilateral meetings are also planned: with British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and former British Prime Minister, MP Boris Johnson.
During the visit, a memorandum of understanding will be signed between the offices of the Verkhovna Rada and the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Ruslan Stefanchuk will visit Germany on June 1-3.
“I am going to advocate granting Ukraine the status of an EU candidate country! …My first stop is Berlin. Many meetings with German parliamentarians and officials are planned on June 1-3,” Stefanchuk wrote on Facebook on Wednesday.
The Speaker of the Parliament expressed confidence that Germany’s support for the decision to grant Ukraine the status of a candidate country for EU membership “will further unite our states and peoples.”
According to Stefanchuk, Ukraine should be granted the status of an EU candidate country in June.
Ukraine is preparing for any scenario of the development of events associated with an artificially created migration crisis on the border with Belarus, Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Ruslan Stefanchuk has said.
“We in Ukraine are preparing for any scenario of the development of events. Now there is no influx of migrants to the borders of our state. At the same time, we see that the tactics of actions related to illegal migration from Belarus to the EU countries are ambiguous, every day something changes in it,” Stefanchuk said at the 11 session of the Interparliamentary Assembly of the Verkhovna Rada, the Seimas of Lithuania and the Senate of Poland in Warsaw on Monday.
He said that Ukraine is strengthening the border with Belarus and constantly consults at the ministerial level with the Polish and Lithuanian sides.
“The Ukrainian side takes extremely seriously the situation on the EU border with Poland and Belarus. Today we are in complete solidarity with the Polish side: the migration crisis is artificially created by Russia and Belarus. What is happening on the EU’s eastern border is a challenge not only to our countries, but also a challenge to the entire civilized world. We are talking, among other things, about checking the ability of the EU and NATO to be consolidated in confronting modern challenges and threats,” Stefanchuk said.
According to him, Russia’s absorption of Belarus and its transformation into another Russian military base on the borders with the EU and NATO poses an immediate threat not only for Ukraine, but for the entire region.
The Verkhovna Rada has supported the appointment of Ruslan Stefanchuk, who previously held the post of First Deputy Speaker, to the post of Chairman of the Parliament.
The corresponding decision was supported by 261 MPs at a plenary session on Thursday.
