In the framework of commemorations marking the 50th anniversary of the Ukrainian World Congress (UWC), on 27-28 April 2017 UWC President Eugene Czolij met with high-ranking officials of Portugal.
During the meetings the UWC President welcomed the resolution adopted on 3 March 2017 by the Parliament of Portugal recognizing the Holodomor of 1932-33 as a genocide of the Ukrainian people and thanked the Parliament for its principled resolution.
The UWC President highlighted the plight of Ukrainian political prisoners being unlawfully detained by the Russian Federation in Crimea, Eastern Ukraine and the Russian Federation, and called for monitoring of the situation with added pressure on the Russian Federation to reduce the violations of human rights, and supporting the extension of sanctions against the Russian Federation until it fully complies with the Minsk agreements. He also emphasized the need to deploy an OSCE police mission to Eastern Ukraine and a monitoring mission to Crimea. In support of furthering the process of reforms in Ukraine, Eugene Czolij underscored the importance of finalizing the ratification process for the EU-Ukraine Association Agreement and implementing the visa-free regime for Ukrainian citizens.
During his visits in Lisbon, the UWC President was accompanied by President of the Association of Ukrainians in Portugal Pavlo Sadokha and Director of the UWC Mission to International Organizations in Brussels Maryna Iaroshevych.
“The Ukrainian World Congress calls upon the governing authorities of Portugal to continue supporting Ukraine in the defence of its territorial integrity,” stated UWC President Eugene Czolij.
List of individuals with whom the UWC President met:
Abbott Peter, Deputy Head of Mission, Embassy of Great Britain in the Republic of Portugal
Azevedo Sergio, Vice-President of the PSD Parliamentary Group, Portuguese Parliament
Calado Pedro, High Commissioner for Migration of the Republic of Portugal
Calha Miranda, Vice-President of the Portuguese Parliament
Dias Eurico Brilhante, Head of Portugal-Ukraine Friendship Group, Portuguese Parliament, Vice-President of the Commission on European Affairs
Duarte Augusto, Diplomatic Adviser to the Portuguese President
Fonseca Patrícia, Member of the Portugal-Ukraine Friendship Group, Portuguese Parliament
Marder Jeffrey, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Canada in the Republic of Portugal
Martinho Lara, Vice-President of the PS Parliamentary Group, Portuguese Parliament, Member of the Committee on Foreign Relations and Portuguese Communities
Monfils Joël, Political Counsellor at the Embassy of Canada in the Republic of Portugal
Ohnivets Inna, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Ukraine in the Republic of Portugal
Pina Virginia, Deputy Director General for Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Portugal
Ramos Pedro, Vice-President of the Portugal-Ukraine Friendship Group, Portuguese Parliament
Santos Isabelle, Head of the Portuguese Delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe
In the photo from left: V. Nastashenko, І. Ognivets, P. Calado, E. Czolij, M. Iaroshevych and P. Sadokha
