On the first day of the Ministerial Conference on the Human Dimension of the Peace Formula in Montreal, Head of the Office of the President Andriy Yermak held a series of bilateral meetings.
Andriy Yermak thanked Nathalie Drouin, National Security and Intelligence Advisor to the Prime Minister of Canada, for organizing this important event aimed at developing solutions for all groups of people detained by Russia: military, civilians and children.
“I also thank you for your participation in most of the thematic conferences on the Peace Formula points that we have held since the First Peace Summit. We greatly appreciate Canada's leadership in the International Coalition for the Return of Ukrainian Children as well as its assistance in rehabilitating these children,” he stressed.
The parties discussed preparations for the Second Peace Summit which will present the Peace Framework based on the results of nine thematic conferences.
During a meeting with Reem Ebrahim Al Hashimy, Minister of State for International Cooperation at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the United Arab Emirates, Andriy Yermak expressed his gratitude for UAE's humanitarian assistance and its role in the release of Ukrainian prisoners of war.
“We strongly value the UAE's participation in the First Peace Summit. In particular, we expect that the UAE could support the Joint Communiqué of the First Summit,” he emphasized.
Through Lolwah bint Rashid Al-Khater, Minister of State for International Cooperation at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Qatar, Andriy Yermak thanked the country for its assistance in bringing back 42 Ukrainian children from the Russian Federation and the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine, as well as for comprehensive medical and psychosocial assistance to a group of 16 children this April.
The parties discussed further rehabilitation of Ukrainian children in Qatar and expectations from this Ministerial Conference.
“Concrete results for the return of our children are crucial. We have no time to wait, because this is about the lives and fates of children,” Andriy Yermak noted.
They also discussed the coordination of further actions for Peace Formula implementation.
With Bjørn Berge, Deputy Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Andriy Yermak discussed the Council of Europe's key role in the implementation of the seventh point of the Peace Formula, “Restoration of Justice”. In particular, the launch of the Register of Damage, which is an important step towards establishing an international accountability mechanism for the crime of aggression.
Andriy Yermak emphasized the importance of continuing work on the establishment of the Special Tribunal that will enable the prosecution of those responsible for starting the war.
In addition, the participants of the meeting highlighted the decisions taken at the 4th Council of Europe Summit, including the Declaration on the immediate return of Ukrainian children illegally taken to Russia, Belarus, or the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine.
