European Solidarity accuses Verkhovna Rada leadership of manipulation when forming delegation to Ukraine-NATO Parliamentary Council
The European Solidarity faction has accused the Verkhovna Rada leadership of manipulation when forming a delegation to participate in the Ukraine-NATO Parliamentary Counciland demanded the observance of the quota principle and transparency in the formation of all interparliamentary delegations.
"On January 20-22, Brussels is hosting a meeting of the Ukraine-NATO Parliamentary Council attended by the Ukrainian parliamentary delegation, which traditionally consists of representatives of the official delegation of the NATO PA [Parliamentary Assembly] with the participation of delegated members of factions and groups, also ex officio the delegation includes the first deputy chairman of the Verkhovna Rada and the heads of the Foreign Affairs and European Integration Committees. Under unclear circumstances, a non-factional MP [...] M. [Maryana] Bezuhla found herself in the delegation. [...] There are questions to the chairman of the Verkhovna Rada [Ruslan Stefanchuk] regarding the authority and legal grounds for the presence of the non-factional MP Bezuhla in the permanent delegation of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine to the NATO PA," the political force said in a statement published on the party's website on Monday.
The European Solidarity recalled that the permanent delegation of the Verkhovna Rada to the NATO Parliamentary Assembly includes 24 MPs, and the deputy chairman of the delegation is still Bezuhla, who was included in the delegation as a representative of the Servant of the People parliamentary faction. However, she was later expelled from the faction and is currently a non-factional MP.
The statement notes that in accordance with the provision on permanent delegations of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine in the parliamentary bodies of international organizations, exclusively deputy factions registered in the Verkhovna Rada are subject to forming the delegation.
"Participation of unauthorized persons in the work of the delegation undermines the principles of legitimacy of the representation of the Ukrainian parliament in the work of such an authoritative institution as the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, destroys the authority of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine in the current system of interparliamentary relations," the faction said.
The European Solidarity demanded from the leadership of the Verkhovna Rada to provide documents on the basis of which Bezuhla is included in the delegation.
"We demand from the leadership of the Verkhovna Rada to stop manipulating their powers and playing along with Bankova [Street, the address of the Office of the President of Ukraine] in discrediting the Parliament. It is not worth turning the work of the Ukrainian delegation to NATO into an absurdity," it said.