Ukraine says preparing for 5th Crimea Platform summit

By Alperen Aktas

ISTANBUL (AA) - Ukraine is preparing to host the 5th summit of the international Crimea Platform and expects the participation of many foreign leaders, Deputy Foreign Minister Mariana Betsa said on Thursday, state news agency Ukrinform reported.

Speaking at the fourth international forum of the platform’s expert network, Betsa stressed that the Crimean issue has “special importance” in the year marking the 80th anniversary of the UN.

She underlined Kyiv’s continued efforts to keep the question of Crimea high on the global agenda.

“Every year we promote a resolution on human rights in the temporarily occupied territories within the framework of the UN General Assembly. This year we will also promote it as much as possible. We are also preparing the 5th summit of the international Crimean Platform, and it will be an important summit. We hope that there will be many foreign leaders,” she said, without giving a date for the gathering.

Earlier, Ukrainian parliamentary speaker Ruslan Stefanchuk discussed Türkiye’s potential participation in the summit with his counterpart Numan Kurtulmus during the NATO Parliamentary Summit in Brussels.

The Crimean Platform, launched in 2021, is an international diplomatic initiative aimed at coordinating global efforts for the de-occupation of Crimea, which was annexed by Russia in 2014.