On April 2, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, chaired by Andrii Sybiha, Minister of Foreign Affairs, held an interdepartmental meeting on the development of the main principles of the state policy of Ukraine on interaction with the national movements of the colonized peoples of the Russian Federation.
The meeting was attended by Ukraine’s MPs Mariia Mezentseva-Fedorenko, Yaroslav Yurchyshyn, Oleg Dunda - members of the temporary special commission of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine on the preparation of a draft of the main principles of Ukraine’s state policy regarding interaction with national movements of small and indigenous peoples of the Russian Federation, representatives of ministries and departments, research institutions and public organizations.
Discussion of Draft Law 11402, which was developed and introduced by more than 80 Ukraine’s MPs in cooperation with academic and public expert circles, was the main purpose of the meeting. The meeting’s participants noted the urgency and importance of its adoption and discussed key areas for revision after its first reading.
“For centuries, Moscow has been pursuing an imperial, colonial policy aimed at destructing and assimilating other peoples. It's time to seriously promote the topic of protecting and restoring the rights of all those whom the Kremlin tried to dissolve in the Russian imperial project and deprive of their own identity at the international level. It is time to work on overcoming Russian colonial influence in everything from politics and history to language and culture. I am grateful to all my colleagues, government officials, MPs, and experts who are already engaged in this important work. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is ready to continue playing its important role,” emphasized Minister Andrii Sybiha.
The self-determination of the colonized peoples of the Russian Federation complies with the fundamental norms of international law, is supported by a number of international resolutions, and is in line with the UN fundamental documents.