Kyiv, 13 June 2016 – A meeting of legislators from NATO member and partner countries is set to open in Kyiv, Ukraine, with remarks by Ukrainian parliament speaker Andriy Parubiy, Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic integration Ivanna Klympush-Tsyntsadze and the former President of the European Parliament Pat Cox.

The 3-day meeting will tackle a broad range of issues, including the security situation in Eastern Ukraine, human rights abuses in the illegally occupied Crimea, Ukraine’s partnership with NATO, political and economic reforms in Ukraine, including the fight against corruption, and unresolved conflicts in the Southern Caucasus.

The event is expected to send a signal of support to Ukraine as it attempts to conduct ambitious reforms against the backdrop of continuing efforts by Moscow and its clients in Donbas to destabilize Ukraine.

The joint meeting, entitled “Ukraine’s Transformation In A Troubled Regional Context”, is organised in cooperation with the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine and the NATO Information and Documentation Centre in Ukraine, and includes the 92nd Rose-Roth seminar, a meeting of the Ukraine-NATO Interparliamentary Council (UNIC) and of NATO PA Sub-Committees on NATO Partnerships (PCNP) and on Transition and Development (ESCTD). The co-Chairs of UNIC – the parliamentary equivalent to the NATO-Ukraine Commission - Senator Raynell Andreychuk (Canada) and Andriy Parubiy, (Ukraine) are expected to issue a joint statement on Tuesday evening.

The event will bring together over 160 participants, including almost 80 members of parliament from 25 NATO member states and partner countries.

The general objective of Rose-Roth seminars is to facilitate dialogue on key security matters among legislators from NATO and partner nations. These seminars are also an opportunity to engage with senior government officials, primarily from the host country, as well as distinguished representatives from international organisations, NGOs, universities, and think tanks.