37 countries of the world have approved a decision on the adoption of the Enlarged Partial Agreement on the establishment of a Steering Committee for the Special Tribunal for the crime of aggression against Ukraine — the third founding document of the future tribunal. This was reported by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine.
Source: PRYAMYI
The decision was adopted on May 15 in Chișinău during the Ministerial Meeting of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe, attended by Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha.
He emphasized the need to establish the tribunal, referring to the massive attack on Kyiv the day before, in which 24 people were killed, including three children.
“Just like the Nuremberg trials 80 years ago, this Special Tribunal in The Hague will restore justice from the ruins of war,” Sybiha said.
He stressed that the moral foundation of Europe and the world will only be restored when the crime of aggression against Ukraine is punished. According to him, this is about restoring the space of truth, justice, trust, and dignity.
“Putin always wanted to go down in history. And this tribunal will help him achieve it. He will go down in history as a criminal. And not only him — Putin, Shoigu, Gerasimov, Bortnikov, Zolotov, Medvedev, Patrushev, Lukashenko and others. They have all received their ‘ticket to The Hague’,” the minister noted.
According to Sybiha, a point of no return has effectively been passed: the Special Tribunal has become a legal reality. One year has passed since the political decision in Lviv, and an implementation agreement has already been approved, which is a fast pace for international criminal justice.
He added that the accountability infrastructure will consist of three elements: the Special Tribunal, the International Compensation Commission, and the Register of Damages.
“Accountability will never become a matter of compromise. Justice is an integral element of lasting peace,” the Foreign Minister emphasized.
He also noted the role of Council of Europe Secretary General Alain Berset, member states of the Council of Europe and the European Union, and thanked Moldova and Minister Mihai Popșoi for their hospitality and the presidency of the Council of Europe.
The Enlarged Partial Agreement will define the administrative and governance framework of the Special Tribunal’s Steering Committee and will allow accession by both Council of Europe member states and third countries.
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