The 20th Winter Session of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly took place on February 24-26, with the participation of the Ukrainian parliamentary delegation

On February 24-26, 2021, the 20th Winter Session of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly took place in the video conference format. The program of the event included meetings of the OSCE PA Standing Committee, a joint session of the three general committees of the OSCE PA, meeting of the General Committee on Political and Security Affairs, the General Committee on Economic Affairs, Science, Technology and the Environment and the General Committee on Democracy, Human Rights and Humanitarian Affairs.

More than 270 parliamentarians from OSCE participating States took part in the event, including the Permanent Delegation of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine.

During the joint session of the three general committees, the members of the OSCE PA had the opportunity to talk with President of the Austrian National Council Wolfgang Sobotka, incumbent President of the OSCE PA Lord Bowness, OSCE Chairman-in-Office and Swedish Ministry for Foreign Affairs Ann Linde, and OSCE Secretary General Helga Schmid.

In their speeches, the members of the Permanent Delegation stressed Russia's violation of fundamental norms of international law and OSCE obligations, and the negative consequences of Russia's seven-year armed aggression against Ukraine, including the ecology of Europe, the impact of the militarization of Crimea on the security of the Black Sea and Mediterranean regions, human rights violations in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and Sevastopol, the persecution of Crimean Tatars and ethnic Ukrainians.

During the joint session of the three Committees, Head of the Permanent Delegation M. Poturayev drew the attention of Minister of Foreign Affairs of Sweden Ann Linde to the possibilities of the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to implement its mandate in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and Sevastopol and within the framework of the General Committee on Political and Security Affairs, informed the present members of the committee about the situation in eastern Ukraine and the ongoing militarization of Crimea and Sevastopol.

Deputy Head of the Permanent Delegation Artur Gerasimov as Vice-President of the General Committee on Economic Affairs, Science, Technology and Environment chaired part of the committee meeting and during the general debate reported on the negative impact of Russia's blockade of the Black and Azov Seas on the region's economy, and called on Russia to withdraw troops and return the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine.

During the meeting of the General Committee on Democracy, Human Rights and Humanitarian Affairs, members of the Permanent Delegation V. Galaychuk and P. Frolov in their speeches informed the audience about the discriminatory policy of the occupying power against the ethnic minorities of Crimea, and politically motivated persecution, refusal of the Russian Federation to comply with the decision of the UN International Court of Justice to lift the ban on the activities of the Crimean Tatar People's Majlis, violation of the right of access to education in Ukrainian and Crimean Tatar. Among other things, MP of Ukraine V. Galaychuk presented the new international initiative "Crimean Platform" during the committee meeting.