FM Kuleba invites France to join Crimean Platform

Dmytro Kuleba expressed his condolences to Jean-Yves Le Drian in connection with the recent attacks in France and the deaths of innocent people.

The ministers discussed the dynamics of diplomatic efforts within the framework of the Normandy format for the peaceful settlement of the Russian-Ukrainian war in Donbas.

The French minister praised Ukraine's efforts to create the preconditions for progress in the conflict settlement and underscored the inalterability of France’s stance on supporting Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally recognized borders.

Dmytro Kuleba informed Jean-Yves Le Drian about the initiative to create the Crimean Platform, an international format that consolidates the international community's efforts to de-occupy Crimea and protect human rights under the temporary Russian occupation.

Dmytro Kuleba invited France to take an active part in the work of the Crimean Platform. Jean-Yves Le Drian expressed gratitude for the invitation and assured that France's principled position on non-recognition of the attempted annexation of Crimea would remain in place as well as the corresponding policy of restrictive measures against Russia. In this regard, the French side will consider information on the launch of the Crimean Platform.

The ministers praised the growing dynamics of bilateral cooperation in many areas, including increased trade and investment. The officials confirmed their readiness to hold a meeting of the Ukraine-France Intergovernmental Commission on Economic Cooperation by the end of 2020 to ensure conditions for increasing French investment in Ukraine's economy.

The interlocutors separately discussed the prospects of Ukraine-France cooperation in Africa, in particular in the areas of security, trade and investment.

The minister also touched upon Ukraine's European integration. Jean-Yves Le Drian praised the results of the successful Ukraine-EU Summit and reaffirmed Paris' commitment to further supporting Ukraine-EU relations on the basis of the Summit's agreements. Dmytro Kuleba underscored the importance of further integration of economies of Ukraine and the European Union as stipulated in the Association Agreement. "I am deeply convinced that in the present-day world, especially amid the pandemic, Ukraine and the EU are natural partners for building a strong European economy," the Ukrainian minister said.

The ministers paid special attention to the topic of systemic reforms in Ukraine on the basis of the EU-Ukraine Association Agreement. Dmytro Kuleba informed his French counterpart about the devastating consequences of the infamous decision of the Constitutional Court of Ukraine for anti-corruption reforms and assured that the President and the Government of Ukraine were determined to protect the effective operation of anti-corruption infrastructure and other reforms.

In turn, Jean-Yves Le Drian noted that France supported the determination with which President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky began to act in this situation.

The French minister accepted Dmytro Kuleba's invitation to pay a visit to Ukraine to discuss the full range of bilateral issues.

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