Canada has been steadfastly supporting the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine, Prime Minister of Canada Justin Trudeau stressed during a meeting with President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the Third Ukraine Reform Conference on July 2 in Toronto.
At the event, the representatives of the Ukrainian public presented 2 strategic documents with priorities for reforms.
The first one is Toronto Principles, which summarizes the vision of reforms in Ukraine by NGOs and businesses. The document was presented by Taras Shevchenko, Co-Chairman of the RPR Board, Director of the Centre for Democracy and Rule of Law.
The second one is Sectoral Briefs on Reforms in Ukraine, which outlines key changes in 12 areas of government policy that need to be implemented over the next 5 years. Both documents were prepared by public experts coordinated by the Reanimation Package of Reforms Coalition.
Olena Halushka, Head of International Relations at the Anti-Corruption Action Center, and Lada Roslycka, Research and Advocacy Manager at the NAKO, spoke at the panel “Sovereignty, Security and Integrity: Building trust in institutions”.
Trudeau stressed the need to stand up united against the background of Russia’s attempts to undermine Ukraine’s sovereignty.
“Canada and Ukraine share a deep friendship, built on common values and strong people-to-people ties. Today, we took the next step to deepen those ties. Canada will always stand with the people of Ukraine, and will continue to support its efforts on the path to greater democracy, security, and prosperity,” said the Canadian Prime Minister.
Support of Ukraine on behalf of Canada was also confirmed by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the country, Chrystia Freeland.
“This conference gives us a unique opportunity to once again support Ukraine’s reforms and Ukraine’s path to European integration. Ukrainians have shown full devotion to sovereignty, democracy and reforms. Your agenda is very ambitious, you still have a lot to do in the main sectors, but since the Revolution of Dignity, more reforms have been implemented than in the previous 27 years,” said Freeland in her speech.
It’s impossible to speak about Ukraine’s development without the return of the occupied Donbas and Crimea, Volodymyr Zelenskyy emphasized during his speech at the Conference in Toronto.
According to preliminary estimates, more than EUR 10bn is needed to restore Donbas. Investors interested in financing infrastructure and humanitarian projects in Donbas are planned to be invited to a forum in Mariupol, which will take place this autumn. Ukraine has to get back not only its territories, but also its people,” Zelenskyy pointed put.
“They (inhabitants of the occupied territories – RPR) should not lose contact with Ukraine. These are our citizens. And today they are scared. They are scared because they are muddled in the question “Who are we?”. They are Ukrainians, no matter what language they speak. We will never get tired of repeating: Donbas and Crimea are Ukrainian,” said the President.
“Return of Crimea and peace in Donbas serve as a guarantee of a peaceful sleep both in Europe and in the world. Keep this in mind the next time you discuss sanctions (against Russia – RPR),” Zelenskyy added.