At a special meeting held to mark the fourth anniversary of Russia’s large-scale military invasion of Ukraine, the Council of Europe’s Committee of Ministers reaffirmed, in a Decision, its “unwavering commitment to the independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine within its internationally recognised borders”.
This “full-scale military invasion of Ukraine by the Russian Federation is unprecedented in the history of the Council of Europe”, the text stresses.
The Decision adopted by the permanent representatives of the Strasbourg-based organisation’s 46 member states reaffirms the Council of Europe’s central role in setting up a comprehensive framework to establish accountability for violations of international law, destruction and loss of life in this war for which Russia bears “full responsibility”.
The Committee of Ministers therefore encourages Member States “to actively contribute” to the process leading to the creation of a Special Tribunal for the crime of aggression against Ukraine and welcomes the agreement reached with the EU on funding a preparatory team for establishing such an international tribunal.
Another welcome development was the opening for signature of the Convention Establishing an International Claims Commission for Ukraine, which represents a decisive step in the war damages compensation mechanism.
The Committee of Ministers points out that 35 states and the EU – which contributes financially to it, as well as to work on the Special Tribunal – have already signed it.
During her speech, the EU’s ambassador to the Council of Europe, Vesna Kos, confirmed the European Union’s willingness to continue participating in funding this work and promised to “work closely to guarantee international support for a just, lasting and equitable peace based on the UN Charter and international law”.
“There can be no lasting peace without responsibility, no stability without justice”, said Mykola Tochytskyi, Ukraine’s ambassador to the Council of Europe.
“Establishing responsibility is not a political choice, it is a legal responsibility necessary to restore confidence in the Rule of law on our continent”.
Link to the Committee of Ministers’ Decision: https://aeur.eu/f/kw2 (Original version in French by Véronique Leblanc)