Written declaration No. 601 | Doc. 13957 | 26 January 2016

Exchange of captives between Ukraine and the Russian Federation: the way to resolve

Signatories: Mr Volodymyr ARIEV, Ukraine, EPP/CD ; Ms Marieluise BECK, Germany, ALDE ; Mr Boryslav BEREZA, Ukraine, EPP/CD ; Mr Oleksandr BILOVOL, Ukraine, NR ; Mr Irakli CHIKOVANI, Georgia, ALDE ; Mr Boriss CILEVIČS, Latvia, SOC ; Mr Mustafa DZHEMILIEV, Ukraine, EPP/CD ; Mr Karl GARÐARSSON, Iceland, ALDE ; Ms Iryna GERASHCHENKO, Ukraine, EPP/CD ; Mr Oleksii GONCHARENKO, Ukraine, EC ; Ms Mariia IONOVA, Ukraine, EPP/CD ; Mr Giorgi KANDELAKI, Georgia, EPP/CD ; Mr Serhii KIRAL, Ukraine, EC ; Ms Nellija KLEINBERGA, Latvia, ALDE ; Mr Andrii LOPUSHANSKYI, Ukraine, ALDE ; Ms Meritxell MATEU, Andorra, ALDE ; Mr Serhiy SOBOLEV, Ukraine, EPP/CD ; Ms Olena SOTNYK, Ukraine, ALDE ; Ms Chiora TAKTAKISHVILI, Georgia, ALDE ; Mr Pavlo UNHURIAN, Ukraine, EPP/CD ; Mr Leonid YEMETS, Ukraine, EPP/CD ; Ms Kristýna ZELIENKOVÁ, Czech Republic, ALDE

This written declaration commits only those who have signed it.

We the undersigned members of the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly, are sincerely preoccupied with the situation of the Ukrainian and Russian captives.

In this context the situation of Nadia Savchenko is a matter of strong concern according to Assembly Resolutions 2034 (2015) and 2077 (2015).

The Ukrainian and Russian Presidents have respectively publicly declared at their press-conferences on 17 December 2015 and 14 January 2016 their will to exchange political prisoners according to Chapter 6 of the Minsk agreements of 12 February 2015.

So, we draw the attention of the Secretary General of the Council of Europe to the situation of these captives and especially to the case of Nadia Savchenko, member of our Assembly and still detained in Russia during more than one year and six months.

We call the General Secretary of the Council of Europe, referring to the declarations from the highest authorities of these two countries, to take all the necessary measures to mediate between Russia and Ukraine in order to exchange the captives, including those charged, convicted or whose trial is under way.