On 25 October 2022 the First Parliamentary Summit of the International Crimea Platform co-chaired by Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Ruslan Stefanchuk and Speaker of the Croatian Parliament Gordan Jandroković was held in Zagreb.

The Summit was attended by delegations from over 50 countries and international institutions: representatives of parliamentary assemblies, international organizations, the European Parliament, the United States, Croatia, the United Kingdom, Latvia, Estonia, Lithuania, the Czech Republic, Poland, Germany, Turkey, Norway, Sweden, Canada and Japan. Ukraine also invited countries that are not members of the Crimean Platform, in particular from South America, Africa and Asia. 

The President of Ukraine addressed the audience and emphasized that due to the Russian armed aggression, Europe had found itself in the most dangerous situation since the Second World War. The President urged to liberate Crimea and stop the use of it by Russia as a springboard for attacks on Ukraine. Then people will feel that the world is becoming safer. President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy stressed that the return of Crimea will bring genuine peace because the potential of the Russian aggression will be completely destroyed. He also called on the participants to strengthen the defense, financial and sanctions support of Ukraine and to share with our country their security, legal, economic and infrastructural expertise after the territorial integrity of Ukraine is restored.

Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Ruslan Stefanchuk outlined the steps to be undertaken by Ukraine after de-occupation of Crimea for its demilitarization and safe reintegration, for holding accountable those responsible for crimes, for restoration of freedom of speech on the Peninsula and for economic development to make Crimea attractive for foreign and domestic investments.

President of the Norwegian Parliament Masud Gharahkhani, who represented Norway at the First Parliamentary Summit of the International Crimea Platform, expressed confidence that the Crimea occupation was a clear sign of further offenses that the world ignored. He also underlined that the international community is deeply impressed by the resilience of Ukrainians in the face of a materially superior aggressor.

First Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Emine Dzhaparova welcomed the adoption of the Joint Declaration of the First Parliamentary Summit of the International Crimea Platform. This document reconfirmed the commitment of the partners to continue their political, diplomatic, financial, humanitarian and other support of Ukraine aimed at restoration of its territorial integrity. Partners also declared their intention to implement the decisions of the Inaugural Summit of the International Crimea Platform within the parliamentary dimension.

The Joint Declaration furthermore underlines the readiness of the participants to consider the establishment of the permanent inter-parliamentary Committee of the International Crimea Platform and to develop an effective mechanism to coordinate joint positions on Crimea within the framework of international organizations.

The Summit officially launched the parliamentary dimension of the International Crimea Platform, which will contribute to activities on the leaders’ and experts’ levels.