G7 ambassadors meet with All-Ukrainian Council of Churches
This is reported by the website of AUCCIRO.
The meeting was held in the format of an online conference co-chaired by Metropolitan Epifaniy, Primate of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, and Chargé d'Affaires a.i. Kristina A. Kvien.
They discussed the situation with judicial reform and further measures aimed at eliminating corruption factors, as well as countering the COVID-19 pandemic.
G7 ambassadors and religious figures drew attention to the persecution on religious grounds and oppression of the majority of religious communities in the Ukrainian territories of Crimea and Donbas, temporarily occupied by Russia.
The Chargé d'Affaires a.i. of the United States has noted that the international community, in particular the United States, will continue to monitor the state of ensuring human rights in the occupied territories of Ukraine and will continue to support the Ukrainian people in the fight against the aggressor and the development of democratic institutions.
"Unfortunately, now there are no effective internal mechanisms that would encourage the occupation authorities to adhere to at least minimal international standards in this area, to stop harassment and persecution. The only effective method is international requirements both at the level of individual countries and through international organizations – the UN and OSCE. I ask you to consider the possibility of introducing additional mechanisms for enhanced monitoring of the situation in this area and, if it worsens, to introduce appropriate sanctions against violators," said Metropolitan Epifaniy, Chairman of the AUCCIRO.
The meeting participants also discussed the role of religious communities in the peacebuilding process, both in the context of the reintegration of the occupied territories and in Ukrainian society as a whole.
This is not the first meeting of the ambassadors of the group of seven countries and members of the All-Ukrainian Council of Churches and Religious Organizations. The previous meeting was held in February 2018, and the tradition of dialogue between the AUCCIRO and foreign ambassadors dates back to 2011.
