MFA: About 60 countries, organizations confirm participation in Crimea Platform

"We have already received confirmation from new countries and international organizations. The level of participants will also be higher. Last year, out of 46 delegations, 15 were represented at the level of heads of states, governments and parliaments, and another three at the level of heads of international institutions. As of now, about 60 countries and international organizations have already confirmed their participation in the 2nd summit of the international Crimea Platform, including about 40 at the level of presidents and prime ministers. I will not reveal all the details so as not to make the task easier for our enemy. You will see everything tomorrow," Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Dmytro Kuleba said in a commentary published on the website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

He noted that the inaugural summit of the Crimea Platform last year had become the largest diplomatic event in Ukrainian history, but the geography of the participants also revealed weak points: then it was possible to consolidate the entire Euro-Atlantic space and the G7 countries but other regions, in particular Asia, Africa, Latin America, were represented relatively weak.

"This year, the Crimea Platform will become truly global. Its geography will expand, in particular thanks to the countries of the African continent and the other side of the Atlantic," the minister informed.

According to Kuleba, in order to make the Crimea Platform truly global, Ukraine actively convinced the countries of all continents that this format is not only about Crimea, but in general about justice, international law, respect for borders and observance of the principle of territorial integrity.

"The absolute majority of the world's countries feel that compliance with these principles is the basis of their security and the security of their people. Therefore, the whole world is interested in the success of the international Crimea Platform, the goal of which is the de-occupation of Crimea and the restoration of international law," Kuleba said.

In his opinion, the Crimean Platform summit is especially relevant now, amid the full-scale war, as Russia uses the captured peninsula as a military base for its aggression and destabilization of the whole world.

"The restoration of Ukraine’s control over Crimea will guarantee the security of the entire Black Sea region, Europe, and the world. The fact that the number of participants in the Crimea Platform summit has increased by more than a third, and the geography of participation has become truly global, shows that the whole world stands with Ukraine in the matter of the return of Crimea," Kuleba emphasized.

Finally, he underscored that the return of Crimea is one of the key principles of President Zelensky's diplomatic team. "This is a task that we will never leave or forget. Justice will be restored, and Crimea has been and will be Ukraine," the foreign minister emphasized.

As reported, the Crimea Platform is a consultation and communication format launched by President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky in August 2021 to structure all issues related to the peninsula. The goal is to develop practical approaches to draw attention to the situation in Crimea and discuss the possibilities of restoration of Ukraine’s sovereignty over the peninsula.

This year, Ukraine plans to hold the 2nd Crimea Platform summit on August 23 in an online format.

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