The inaugural summit of the Crimean base with the aim of returning to Crimea under the sovereignty of Kiev will be held on Monday in the Ukrainian capital. More than 40 foreign delegates will attend the event. Slovakia is represented by Prime Minister Edward Hager.
Photo: TASR / AP, Pavel Golovkin
In an archive image from March 28, 2014, the Russian flag flies over a mountain near the city of Buxiere in the Crimea.
“By attending the summit, the Prime Minister of the Slovak Republic, Edward Hager, reaffirmed the Slovak Republic’s long-standing support for Ukraine and its regional integrity,” they told the Press and Information Agency of the Government Office () V) on the sidelines of the SR Prime Minister’s overseas trip.
The Crimean platform is a new form of international consultation and coordination, launched by Ukraine and President Volodymyr Zhelensko. According to Kiev, the main goal of the platform is to end the Russian occupation of Crimea and restore Ukraine’s sovereignty over the peninsula.
The site operates on several levels: a network of cooperation between heads of state and heads of state, foreign ministers, parliaments and experts.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba announced on Friday that senior officials from 44 countries and international organizations will attend the summit. Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Poland, Hungary, Moldova, Slovenia and Finland will be represented at the presidential level. The event is attended by Charles Michael, President of the Council of Europe.
Kuleba TV told Ukraine 24 that they did not send an official invitation to Russia. “However, from the outset, after the public announcement of President Zhelensky’s initiative to activate the Crimean base, Russia flatly rejected any opportunity to cooperate with the Crimean base – we are not against it. As part of the Crimean base, we are ready to talk to Russia about Crimea,” he added.
After the talks, the leaders are expected to sign a joint declaration reaffirming their commitment to Ukraine’s independence and regional unity and formulate a framework for international policy on Crimea.
Russia occupied part of the Crimean peninsula in February 2014 and annexed it to its territory after a controversial referendum in March, which was not recognized by Ukraine or the West. The summit coincides with the 30th anniversary of the independence of Ukraine.
