On 11 December, in Lviv, Deputy Foreign Minister of Ukraine Olexandr Mischenko participated in the 14th Session of the Ukraine-Poland Parliamentary Assembly, co-chaired by Deputy Chairperson of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Olena Kondratiuk and Vice-Marshal of the Sejm of the Republic of Poland Monika Wielichowska.
The Parliamentary Assembly of Ukraine and the Republic of Poland is an essential platform for the development of parliamentary diplomacy, the strengthening of good-neighbourly relations, and the expansion of Ukrainian-Polish dialogue.
This year's session of the Assembly, dedicated to the topic of security in Europe and Ukraine, was attended by Ukrainian and Polish parliamentarians, government officials and diplomats. The session consisted of two panel discussions: “Security in the region and challenges related to the ongoing war. The role of parliamentary diplomacy” and “Ukraine's integration into EU structures. Poland's activities on the international arena in support of Ukraine's European integration aspirations”.
In his speech during the first panel, Deputy Minister Olexandr Mischenko emphasised that Ukraine's accession to the European Union and NATO today means strengthening the security of the whole of Europe. “Neither in Ukraine nor in Poland are there any naive people who do not understand this. But among our other partners, we sometimes see attempts to reduce the perception of this war to a simplified scheme of an allegedly narrow conflict between Ukraine and Russia, which, of course, does not correspond to reality, because we are talking about Russia's desire to restore its imperial role in the world and replace the rule of law with the law of force, which is unacceptable. That is why Russia is doing everything possible to stop Ukraine's Euro-Atlantic integration. And, unfortunately, not all partners fully realise the scale of this danger,” he stressed.
Olexandr Mischenko also noted that Russia is seeking to drive a wedge between allies – Ukraine and Poland – and to this end has launched a targeted campaign of falsification, using, in particular, issues related to our shared history. All this is being done to sow distrust between the Ukrainian and Polish peoples. One such example is the disinformation campaign surrounding the Volyn tragedy, which aims to create a false image of Ukraine as a country that allegedly does not respect Poland.
The Deputy Minister also emphasised the important role of parliamentary diplomacy. It was after the previous session of the Assembly that joint initiatives, with the active participation of the Foreign Ministries and Ministries of Culture of both countries, succeeded in unblocking the issue of cooperation in the field of historical heritage. A joint working group under the auspices of Ministries of Culture of the two countries has begun its work, and there are already concrete results that contribute to the normalisation of relations between the Ukrainian and Polish peoples. He noted that Ukraine is ready to continue this work, particularly by resuming dialogue within the framework of the Forum (Conference) of Historians, which will take place in May next year.
The diplomat expressed his gratitude to Poland for supporting millions of Ukrainians who were forced to seek safety due to Russian aggression. Poland has provided Ukrainian citizens with the conditions to live, work and professionally apply their knowledge and skills, which has had a noticeable positive effect on the development of local communities and the Polish economy.
In conclusion, Olexandr Mischenko emphasised that the Ukrainian-Polish partnership is one of the key factors in resilience against Russian aggression: “Only together can we stand up to our common enemy — Russia, which for centuries has sought to destroy both Ukraine and Poland. Our response is unity, solidarity, mutual support and a shared vision of the future of Europe”.
During the session, the parties signed a joint declaration of Assembly`s co-chairs, which defines the priorities for interparliamentary cooperation for the next period.