Sybiha opens fifth Crimea Platform summit in New York with record turnout of leaders

Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Andriy Sybiha opened the fifth summit of the international Crimea Platform, which is being held for the first time at the UN headquarters in New York.

"A record number of leaders and high-ranking officials: 54 countries, seven international organizations, all continents and regions of the world. This indicates not only support for Ukraine, but also resolute support for the most important principle of the UN – the territorial integrity of states," Sybiha said.

The minister said since 2014, the General Assembly has adopted two dozen principled decisions on the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine. According to him, today's summit "confirms the truth: Crimea is Ukraine."

"The most important thing is that this summit sends a powerful signal of hope to Ukrainians in Crimea, to Crimean Tatars, to all who do not lose hope for the restoration of justice. This summit confirms the truth. Crimea is Ukraine," the Foreign Minister said.

As previously reported by the MFA press service, the summit participants will discuss specific steps to restore the territorial integrity of Ukraine and achieve a just peace based on the UN Charter and the norms of international law.

This year, special attention will be paid to the role of the UN General Assembly in protecting the sovereignty and territorial integrity of states, the resolutions adopted by it on countering Russian aggression, as well as the significance of these documents for preventing new acts of aggression in the world.

The security challenges in the Black Sea and Azov regions, the human rights situation in the occupied Crimea, and international efforts for its de-occupation will be discussed separately.

The Crimea platform, initiated by President of Ukraine in 2021, is a stable international mechanism that consolidates governments, international organizations and civil society. Its activities are aimed at coordinating the global response to Russian aggression, increasing international pressure on the Kremlin and advancing the process of de-occupation of Crimea.

"It was with the occupation of the Crimea peninsula that the Russian invasion of Ukraine began, and only with its liberation and reintegration can a just and lasting peace be restored," the department said.