British parliamentarians have formed an interparliamentary UK-Ukraine group to facilitate multilateral and informal contacts among British and Ukrainian politicians, including parliamentarians and diplomats from both countries. In essence this is about restoring the work of a group that formed during the Orange Revolution, when British politicians decided to support their Ukrainian colleagues. It should be noted that the Anglo-Ukrainian Committee was founded in Great Britain in 1935. Its members were British politicians, historians, and other noted figures, who were concerned about the plight of Ukrainians. Interestingly, the first sitting of the interparliamentary group took place on two levels. The first was when British MPs and Ukrainian diplomats took a pleasure-boat trip down the Thames while watching the soccer match between Ukraine and Saudi Arabia. Afterwards, at the Ukrainian Embassy, they attended a reception to celebrate the founding of the new association. The British members of the interparliamentary group are convinced that Ukraine has a place in Europe and have promised their support. British MP John Grogan believes that recent events in Ukraine (e.g., the postponement of the British-Ukrainian military exercises because of the Crimean protests) is proof that British and other Western European parliamentarians should keep their doors open to Ukraine; this is necessary to demonstrate London’s appreciation of Kyiv’s participation in the European process. The BBC quoted Grogan as saying: “Many of my colleagues in Westminster believe that sooner or later Ukraine will join the European Union. This is going to be a long and winding road, but it is realistic. The Ukrainian people are the ones who should decide what they want to do in a democratic manner. We are not going to pressure anyone, but we should keep the doors open.”
COMMENTARY
Ihor MITIUKOV, former Ambassador of Ukraine to the UK:
“We can only welcome the renewal of this group’s work. The parliamentary elections in Ukraine resulted in the reduction of activities of the previous group. We hope the new parliament begins working more intensively in this direction. Ukrainian parliamentarians may discover many useful things by studying the experience of one of Europe’s oldest parliamentary countries. The experience of the British Parliament will make it possible to put the positive characteristics of a proportional-based parliament to the best use.
“In the second half of last year, when Great Britain chaired the European Union, a number of resolutions were adopted for the benefit of Ukraine on London’s initiative. Britain will remain one of Ukraine’s major partners in its Euro-Atlantic effort. We can also count on the support of British MPs and diplomats in speeding up Ukraine’s WTO membership.
“As for the postponed Ukrainian-British military exercises, the new Ukrainian government should take steps to renew our cooperation with NATO and raise it to the previous level. Great Britain was and still is one of the leading NATO countries that support cooperation with Ukraine in the military sphere.”
