1. Mr Chair, on the occasion of the 90th anniversary of the Holodomor, we honour the memory of all the victims of this brutal man-made famine. It is one of the greatest tragedies of the 20th century, which was a century of extraordinary cruelty and suffering. Millions of people were starved to death as a result of atrocious Stalinist policies. On this tragic anniversary, we wish to pay our respects to those who died and express our sincere condolences to their families and relatives and to the people of Ukraine, who were particularly affected by the famines.

2. It is vital that we do not forget Holodomor, which took the lives of so many Ukrainians. Their memory reminds us of the importance of strengthening accountability, as well as the rule of law and respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms for the prevention of human tragedies in the future. We reiterate that food and hunger should never be used as a weapon.

The Candidate Countries NORTH MACEDONIA*, MONTENEGRO*, SERBIA*, ALBANIA*, UKRAINE, and the REPUBLIC OF MOLDOVA, the Potential Candidate Country GEORGIA, and the EFTA countries ICELAND and LIECHTENSTEIN, members of the European Economic Area, as well as ANDORRA and SAN MARINO align themselves with this statement.

* North Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia and Albania continue to be part of the Stabilisation and Association Process.