The EU in Ecuador and the University of San Francisco in Quito mark the third anniversary of Russia’s unjustified war of aggression against Ukraine
One of the details that enriched this meeting was the visit of Consul Oleksii Otkydach and Cultural Affairs Officer Kristina Bohdiazh from the Ukrainian Embassy in Peru and concurrent for Ecuador and Colombia; as well as the presence of the Honorary Consul of Ukraine in Quito, Arturo Griffin Barros and several leaders of the Ukrainian association in Ecuador.
In her speech, EU Ambassador to Ecuador Jekaterina Doródnova stressed that the EU will never recognise the illegal annexation of Ukrainian regions. “We will continue to support Ukraine, a candidate country for EU membership. Together with our Member States, we are Ukraine’s largest donor with more than EUR 135,000 million, of which EUR 48,700 million corresponds to military aid.” He added that the security of the whole of Europe is at stake and that the EU will stand firm. “Russia will be held accountable: no impunity for war crimes, damage and destruction”.
For his part, Consul Oleksii Otkydach noted that no one wants peace more than Ukraine, but that any peace agreement must be sustainable: “a bad deal will only lead to more war, as happened before. Russia will simply rearm and strike again.” Therefore, he insisted that there can be no decision on Ukraine and on Europe without the participation and commitment of Ukraine and the European Union.
Among the panelists, the professor of International Relations of the USFQ, Lester Cabrera Toledo and CésarGustavo Ortiz Gándara, a young Ecuadorian who witnessed the beginning of the conflict in Ukraine, complemented the interventions coinciding in the importance of the international order, respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity for the achievement of the just and lasting peace that this brave people deserves.
Unión Europea
The event was attended by the Undersecretary of North America and Europe of the Foreign Ministry Humberto Jiménez; the Director of the United Nations System of the Chancellery, Irina Barba; EU Ambassadors resident in Ecuador; the Ambassadors of Canada, Stephen Potter and the United Kingdom, Chris Campbell; as well as the Deputy Head of the European Union Election Observation Mission.