Riga hosted the 12th meeting of the Core Group on the Establishment of the Special Tribunal for the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine. The Group includes 41 states. The Ukrainian delegation was led by Deputy Head of the Office of the President Iryna Mudra.
As a result of the meeting, the participants agreed on the key parameters of the Tribunal's work, including its jurisdiction, and developed a roadmap that clearly outlined concrete further steps to establish the Special Tribunal.
“We have finally made significant progress this year. Ukraine's position is clear and unequivocal: we cannot and will not compromise on justice,” Iryna Mudra said.
In addition, for the first time, a statement was adopted reaffirming the inevitability of punishment for aggressors. It also reflects the strong common position of the Core Group participants and their commitment to the swift establishment of a Special Tribunal.
Moreover, the Core Group noted the progress made in the preparation of a draft bilateral Agreement between the Council of Europe and the Government of Ukraine concerning the Establishment of a Special Tribunal, its draft Statute and a draft Enlarged Partial Agreement outlining the modalities of support for such a tribunal.
The Special Tribunal is established to punish the highest military and political leaders of the aggressor countries for planning, preparing, unleashing and waging an aggressive war, which is the most serious international crime.