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Tali emphasised that Russia’s war against Ukraine has led to extensive kidnappings and forced resettling, particularly when it comes to children. “Some estimates say that over 700,000 Ukrainian children have been taken to Russia in order to “save” them. In actual fact, this is a deliberate activity aimed at robbing a nation of its future and identity,” she declared.
Tali compared this to parallels in the Estonian history, referred to the experiences of her own family, and emphasised that the events taking place in Ukraine constituted a genocide. “If the Estonian nation had lost the same proportion of its children, our whole nation would have been wiped out,” she said.
Tali stressed the urgency of the crisis, where every hesitation cost lives and broke up families. She pointed out that we were expected to intervene immediately if we ever saw a child in distress in our daily lives. “Then what are we waiting for now? If this was your child, would you hesitate?” Tali asked.
She ended her speech by calling the international community to quick and decisive action. “Separating children from their native country and their parents is not only a crime but also brings along irreparable consequences because of Russification,” Kadri Tali emphasised.
Member of the delegation Eerik-Niiles Kross, who is the PACE rapporteur on democratic forces in Russia, discussed the frameworks of future cooperation between the Council of Europe and Russian opposition politicians at his meeting with Vladimir Kara-Murza. Kross also initiated a resolution on improving communication with democratic forces in Russia. In addition, Kross was appointed a rapporteur on the legal consequences of Russia’s war of aggression.
The assembly also discussed fight against propaganda campaigns and disinformation. The Estonian delegation supports the relevant PACE resolutions and cooperates with the delegations of Ukraine, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, and Scandinavian countries to bring the topic into even greater focus.
The Estonian delegation to the PACE, made up of its head Kadri Tali and members Eerik-Niiles Kross and Aleksei Jevgrafov, took part in the PACE Autumn session in Strasbourg from 30 September until today.
Riigikogu Press Service
Merje Meisalu: +372 631 6300, +372 529 9512
merje.meisalu@riigikogu.ee
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Link uudisele: Kadri Tali: The fate of the Ukrainian children is an urgent crisis
Source: Parliament of Estonia