During the 47th meeting of the Commission on the Protection of the Black Sea Against Pollution, Ukraine blocked the handover of the chairmanship to Russia.
This was reported by the Ministry of Economy of Ukraine.
Deputy Minister Iryna Ovcharenko said that an aggressor state that is destroying the marine environment has no right to lead a body tasked with protecting it. She stressed that Russian aggression is causing large-scale environmental damage to the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov, the deltas of the Danube and the Dnipro, as well as valuable wetlands.
The Ukrainian delegation urged other Convention member states to assess the environmental consequences of Russia’s actions, support the study of the damage inflicted, and work together to prevent further pollution of the region.
In addition, Ukraine raised the issue of a complete termination of Russia’s participation in the work of the Convention’s bodies through the relevant legal and procedural mechanisms. Other member states are now expected to consider this initiative.