The Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemns the visit of African diplomats to Donetsk region occupied by the Russian Federation

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs expresses its protest in connection with the visit of the delegation of the Pan-African Parliament to the territory of the Donetsk region of Ukraine temporarily occupied by Russia, the statement of the Ukrainian agency says.

According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the delegation included representatives from Ethiopia, Tanzania, Malawi, Uganda, South Sudan, Comoros, Equatorial Guinea, Djibouti, Eswatini, Zambia, Somalia and Mozambique.

“By taking part in the Russian propaganda campaign, African parliamentarians showed gross disrespect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine and disregarded the fundamental principles of international law. The statements made by them during this visit about opposing colonialism, made on Ukrainian land illegally seized by Russia in the course of the neo-colonial war of aggression against Ukraine, are completely absurd,” the statement said.

The Ukrainian foreign policy department demands from the leadership of the African Union and the Pan-African Parliament to strongly condemn the visit of its representatives to the territory of the Donetsk region of Ukraine temporarily occupied by Russia and to avoid any contact with representatives of the Russian occupation administration in the future.

The day before, the Russian media reported that 16 representatives of the Pan-African Parliament visited the occupied territories of Donetsk region and met with the leader of the “DPR” group, Denys Pushylin.

The Pan African Parliament (PAP) is a body established in 2004 to represent the interests of the peoples of Africa at the continental level. It includes representatives of 55 African countries that are members of the African Union.