The second parliamentary summit of the Crimean Platform took place in Prague on October 24, 2023. It aims to raise awareness of the illegal Russian occupation of Crimea and its wider strategic consequences. The situation of Ukrainian children brought into the territory of the Russian Federation was also an important topic. Five dozen representatives of legislative bodies from all over the world took part in the Prague summit. The founder of the platform, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, spoke at the beginning via a live video call.
The second parliamentary summit of the International Crimean Platform took place from October 23 to 24 in Prague. The aim of the summit was to raise awareness among world leaders and the general public about the illegal Russian occupation of Crimea, its impact on the people there, on global food security, as well as on the rules-based world order.
“The Crimean platform has many important goals. However, I consider one of them to be particularly significant. And that is the fight against oblivion. In this way, we will avoid the risk that the issue of Crimea will become indifferent to us,” said the Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies, Markéta Pekarová Adamová, in her keynote speech and added: “In connection with today’s meeting, it is also important to draw attention to the warning signs that the use of force for political purposes is, for many, becomes acceptable. These signals vary in intensity, but they are all alarming, whether they come from the Taiwan Strait, the Caucasus, or the Western Balkans. The recent terrorist and barbaric attack against Israel was unprecedented in scale and brutality. In response, the international community must more than ever adhere to the fundamental principles we all share – the principles of human rights and democracy and the principles of rules-based international relations, including the non-use of force.”
The urgent topic of the Prague summit was also the issue of Ukrainian children brought into the territory of the Russian Federation.
“Crimea was the first place from which the Russian occupiers began to abduct Ukrainian children. According to reliable sources, over four thousand Ukrainian children were illegally transported from there to Russian territory or Belarus, whose traces are lost at the moment. It was because of the illegal deportation of children that Vladimir Putin was accused by the International Criminal Court. The moral obligation of the community of democratic states is to ensure that justice is served,” emphasized the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Markéta Pekarová Adamová.
The Crimean platform was created in 2021 on the initiative of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. He also spoke at the beginning of the summit to its participants via a live video call.
A total of delegates from 50 countries and 7 parliamentary assemblies took part in the Crimean Platform Prague Summit. Most of the countries of the European Union were represented, including presidents of parliaments from France, Germany and Spain. From countries outside the EU, for example, Canada, the United Kingdom, Sierra Leone and Ghana were represented. Compared to the first year, there was an increase in the number of participants by 7 representatives of other countries.
“At the end, I called on the participants of the summit to also establish an informal group to support the Crimean Platform, following the example of our parliament. Today, the Czech Republic has become a real world center of parliamentary diplomacy,” concluded chairwoman Markéta Pekarová Adamová.
All other relevant information, including the complete text of the jointly adopted conclusions of the Prague summit, can be found on the official website of the event crimeaprague.psp.cz