First Deputy Minister Emine Dzhaparova held a meeting with the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Cyprus Kornelios Korneliou during his visit to Ukraine. At the meeting, the parties focused on the Crimea Platform and the situation in the Russian-occupied Crimea.

"In 2014, Russia committed a crime not only against Ukraine, but the entire international community and international law. During the years of occupation, it turned the Ukrainian peninsula into a military base, hostage to 2.5 million Ukrainians," the First Deputy Minister noted.

Recalling Russia's recent escalation of the situation along the Ukrainian border and in the occupied Crimea, Emine Dzhaparova stressed that the impact of Crimea's militarization extends beyond the Black Sea region and affects the security situation in the Mediterranean, the Middle East and North Africa.

Emine Dzhaparova informed Kornelios Korneliou about preparations for the Crimea Platform Summit in Kyiv and expressed hope President of the Republic of Cyprus Nicos Anastasiades would participate in the Summit.

For his part, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Cyprus reaffirmed his state’s support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine and added that Cyprus is currently specifying the level of its participation in the Crimea Platform Summit.

During the meeting, the parties also discussed the development of bilateral cooperation and interaction within international organizations.