The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) kicked off its spring session today in Strasbourg, with a packed agenda that includes pivotal discussions on Ukraine’s ongoing recovery efforts and the strategic use of frozen Russian state assets.
The session is set to address some of the most pressing geopolitical issues affecting Europe today.
A pressing topic of this session will be the debate on a proposal to use frozen Russian state assets to support Ukraine's recovery.
Ruslan Stefanchuk, Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada, will address the deputies on Tuesday, and a resolution will be put to a vote, reports Ukrinform's correspondent.
Addressing Human Rights Violations
The session week will feature urgent debates on the death of Alexei Navalny, confronting Putin's totalitarian regime in its war on democracy, and the arbitrary detention of Volodymyr Kara-Murza, as well as the systematic persecution of anti-war demonstrators in the Russian Federation and Belarus.
An exchange of views with the Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Maria Pejchynovych-Burych, and the new Commissioner for Human Rights, Michael O'Flaherty, is planned. Mykhailo Popshoi, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Moldova, will also speak at the session.
On the sidelines, the Ukrainian delegation will host a hearing titled 'Victims of Enforced Disappearances: How the Russian Federation Captures Ukrainian Civilians and Violates International Law.'
Another significant agenda item is the debate on Kosovo's application for Council of Europe membership, followed by a vote on the draft PACE conclusion regarding this matter.
As reported by Ukrinform, the European Union and PACE condemned Iran's strikes on Israel, with Secretary General Maria Pejchynovych-Burych denouncing Iran's attack on Israel.
