On March 2, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Mariana Betsa held a meeting with the OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities (HCNM) Christophe Kamp who is visiting Ukraine.

"Ukraine highly appreciates the constructive cooperation with the HCNM and the independent expert support of your institution in the field of national minorities and indigenous peoples in the context of the ongoing aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine," noted Mariana Betsa.

The Deputy Minister emphasized that Ukraine pays priority attention to and remains committed to the highest international standards and OSCE commitments in the field of ensuring the rights of Ukrainian citizens who belong to national minorities (communities).

"Despite the unprecedented challenges caused by the full-scale Russian war of aggression that has been going on for over 4 years, Ukraine is doing everything necessary to ensure that persons belonging to national minorities (communities) of Ukraine have the opportunity to develop their linguistic, cultural, ethnic, and religious identity, and fully grow and develop as part of Ukrainian society," the diplomat emphasized.

The participants paid special attention to the issues of systemic violations of human rights and fundamental freedoms by Russia as an aggressor and occupying state. A significant number of such violations occur in the field of educational, linguistic, and religious rights based on ethnicity and identity in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine.

The Deputy Minister emphasized the critical need for continued appropriate monitoring and documentation of the situation in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine by the HCNM and other autonomous OSCE institutions.

Mariana Betsa and Christophe Kamp also discussed the issue of ensuring the rights and opportunities of the representatives of the Ukrainian national minority in foreign countries, emphasizing the importance of providing them with appropriate conditions for the support and development of their Ukrainian identity regardless their place of residence.