04/03/2022 (Agence Europe) – Tiny Kox, President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, “urges the Russian Federation to respect its obligations under international humanitarian law, notably the 1949 Geneva Conventions” which protect civilians, persons no longer taking part in combat, prisoners, the wounded and the sick. After talks with both the Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister, Olha Stefanyshyn, and the Chair of the Ukrainian delegation to the Assembly, Maria Mezentzeva, he called for the immediate opening of humanitarian corridors “to avoid any disruption to essential services such as water, food, power, and health facilities”. “These legally binding rules and principles must be fully respected during an armed conflict”, insists the President of the Assembly. (VL)