The Ukrainian delegation to PACE supports the election of Tanja Gonggrijp as Deputy Secretary General of the Council of Europe, as it counts on her experience working on the Special Tribunal for the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine, as well as on further strengthening Ukraine’s position within the organization’s structures.
Yevheniia Kravchuk, a member of the Ukrainian delegation and a member of the Verkhovna Rada, shared this in a comment to an Ukrinform correspondent.
“She [Gonggrijp] is the Permanent Representative of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to the Council of Europe. And, given that the Netherlands will host the Special Tribunal, she personally led the coordination group of ambassadors working on this issue. In other words, she is deeply knowledgeable about this issue,” Kravchuk explained.
According to her, the Ukrainian delegation appreciates Gonggrijp’s personal involvement in Ukrainian issues.
“Last year, she visited Kyiv specifically as the chair of this group [head of the delegation of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe]. For us, it is important not only to maintain political support for Ukraine but also to engage in practical work—namely, to ensure that the Council of Europe’s Action Plan for Ukraine is implemented, that proactive work on the Special Tribunal and the compensation mechanism continues, and that the positions of Ukrainians within the Council of Europe Secretariat are strengthened,” the MP noted.
