Deputy Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Andrii Sybiha held a meeting with Secretary General of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation (PABSEC) Asaf Hajiyev.
Members of the parliamentary delegations of Ukraine and Georgia, Anna Purtova and Ramaz Nikolaishvili, also participated in the meeting.
On behalf of the state leadership, Andrii Sybiha expressed gratitude to the Secretary General for his visit to Ukraine and the organization of the 62nd plenary session of the PABSEC General Assembly in Kyiv from November 15 to November 17 of this year.
"This session provided an opportunity for parliamentary delegations of BSEC member states to demonstrate the real situation and consequences of the full-scale Russian aggression," the Deputy Head of the President's Office said.
In this context, he emphasized the importance of international parliamentarians visiting Bucha, Borodianka, and Irpin. Andrii Sybiha highlighted that President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's personal address to the assembly participants reflects the special attention that Ukraine pays to the Organization of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation (BSEC) and its role in ensuring peace and stability in the region.
The parties noted that the PABSEC General Assembly session in Kyiv proved to be exceptionally productive and welcomed its significant results. This includes the adoption of a declaration strongly condemning Russia's large-scale aggression against Ukraine, expressing solidarity and support for our country, and emphasizing the need to transform the Black Sea region into a region of peace, stability, and prosperity.
The personal support from the Secretary General of PABSEC for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine was highly appreciated, as well as the organization's principled position on the non-confirmation of mandates of members of the Russian delegation and the prevention of events within PABSEC in the aggressor state.
The Deputy Head of the Office of the President reaffirmed Ukraine's unchanged position regarding the necessity of excluding Russia from PABSEC as a country that grossly violates international law and the organization's statutory principles. He also expressed hope for support from other BSEC member states in resolving this issue.
During the exchange of views on the security situation in the region, the interlocutors specifically touched upon the issues of global food security and freedom of navigation, discussed further joint steps in the context of ensuring the functioning of grain corridors in the Black Sea.