I have the honour to speak on behalf of the European Union and its Member States. The Candidate Countries North Macedonia, Montenegro, and Albania, the country of the Stabilisation and Association Process and potential candidate Bosnia and Herzegovina, the EFTA countries Iceland, Norway and Liechtenstein, members of the European Economic Area, as well as the Republic of Moldova, Georgia, Andorra and Monaco, align themselves with this statement.

The Russian Federation's unprovoked and unjustified military aggression against Ukraine, in blatant violation of the fundamental principles of the UN Charter, is inflicting unspeakable suffering on the Ukrainian population, with serious concerns that war crimes are being committed by the Russian army. This shows the Russian government’s disregard for human lives and international humanitarian law, but also for this Assembly, which overwhelmingly adopted, on 2 March, a resolution demanding that Russia cease immediately its military actions and withdraw all its forces from the territory of Ukraine within its internationally recognized borders.

Under these circumstances, the above-mentioned Member States dissociate from consensus regarding the appointment of the candidate presented by the Russian Federation for the Joint Inspection Unit. We further recall that as member of the JIU Mr Chernikov must conduct his duties independently and free from any political ties that might hinder his ability to conduct his work objectively.