Thank you, Madam Chairperson.

Madame Secretary General, the delegation of Ukraine warmly welcomes you to the Permanent Council and joins other delegations in extending our sincere congratulations on your recent appointment.

We rely on your previous rich experience and count on your aspiration and expertise in dealing with the threats and challenges to comprehensive security in the sphere of Organization’s responsibility. We also believe that you would be vocal and clear in protecting our common principles and values.

Russia’s aggression against Ukraine still remains one of the main driving forces of instability in the OSCE area, being a clear violation of the core principles and commitments of our Organization, enshrined in the Helsinki Final Act. More than six years after it began, the Russian Federation still arms, trains and fights in the eastern part of Ukraine, continuing at the same time the blatant practice of restrictions and impediments to activities of the SMM to Ukraine on the temporarily occupied territories of my country, especially those adjacent to uncontrolled part of the state border.

The magnitude of situation with regard to massive human rights violations with a wide use of the Russian punitive apparatus in the temporarily occupied Autonomous Republic of Crimea has become catastrophic.

The ongoing temporary occupation of Ukraine’s Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol by the Russian Federation represents a fact, which can not be ignored by the OSCE Secretariat. While the political guidance of all negotiations and consultations related to resolution of the conflicts in the OSCE area, including de-occupation of Crimea, remains the responsibility of the Chairpersonship, the Secretariat should contribute to these endeavors by providing necessary support.

In this vein, let me draw your particular attention to the most recent UNGA Resolution 75/192 of 16 December 2020 “Situation of human rights in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol, Ukraine”. In it, the UN Member States, inter alia, encourage all international organizations, when referring to Crimea in their official documents, communications, publications, information and reports, to refer, I quote, to “the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol, Ukraine, temporarily occupied by the Russian Federation”, and to refer to bodies of the Russian Federation and their representatives in Crimea as “occupation authorities of the Russian Federation”, end of quote. We expect the OSCE Secretariat to follow this call.

We also request the Secretariat to facilitate practical responses to the ongoing illegal actions of the Russian occupation authorities in Crimea through the existing formats. We are all fully aware of the fact that the Russian Federation continues to deny physical access of the OSCE SMM to Crimea, flagrantly violating the Mission’s mandate. In these circumstances, the Ukrainian side has repeatedly called for the launch of remote human rights monitoring in Crimea by the SMM, with the use of the well-proven methodology provided by the UN. We ask the Secretariat to elaborate necessary procedures to be followed by the SMM to this end.

Madame Secretary General, the delegation of Ukraine looks forward to our close cooperation. I would like to reaffirm the importance that Ukraine attaches to the work of the OSCE Secretary General and assure of our full support to your activities, aimed at strengthening the OSCE and promoting the values and principles it is based on.

We understand that the adoption without any delay of the 2021 Unified Budget is highly needed for further effective functioning of the OSCE and its structures. In this regard, I would like to assure you that Ukraine supports the Chair’s Second Budget Proposal and we hope the 2021 Unified Budget will be adopted in the nearest future.

In conclusion, Ukraine once again congratulates you on your appointment and wishes you every success in fulfilling your mandate.

I thank you, Madam Chairperson.