As the world marks the grim one-year anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, we at JEF Malta wish to underscore our continued solidarity with the Ukrainian people as they persist in their fight against armed tyranny.
This invasion is wholly contrary to the views and values of our organisation. We have always strived for tolerance, peace, democracy, social justice, rule of law and respect for Human Rights, and will continue doing so to the utmost of our ability. This unprovoked war has upset the balance of peace that has largely existed in Europe since the end of the Second World War; this era referred to by many as Pax Europaea.
We therefore call upon the Russian Federation to adhere to the resolutions adopted by the United Nations General Assembly, namely Resolutions ES-11/1 through to ES-11/4, as well as Article 2 of the Charter. We also note several international treaties with respect to Ukrainian territorial integrity - in 1999, Russia became signatory to the Charter for European Security where they reaffirmed the "inherent right of each and every participating State to be free to choose or change its security arrangements, including treaties of alliance, as they evolve. Furthermore, we note the 'Treaty on Friendship, Cooperation, and Partnership between Ukraine and the Russian Federation' that once existed, and the Budapest Memorandum that is defunct. We strongly urge the Russian Federation to cease and desist in all its illegal activities so that it may gradually return to the dignified status it once held on the World stage.