1.Mr Chair, on the occasion of the 90th anniversary of the Holodomor, we honour thememory of all the victims of this brutal man-made famine. It is one of the greatesttragedies of the 20th century, which was a century of extraordinary cruelty andsuffering. Millions of people were starved to death as a result of atrocious Stalinistpolicies. On this tragic anniversary, we wish to pay our respects to those who diedand express our sincere condolences to their families and relatives and to the peopleof 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 wellas the rule of law and respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms for theprevention of human tragedies in the future.We reiterate that food and hunger shouldnever be used as a weapon.

The Candidate Countries NORTH MACEDONIA*, MONTENEGRO*, SERBIA*, ALBANIA*, UKRAINE, the REPUBLIC OF MOLDOVA, and BOSNIA and HERZEGOVINA*, 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, Albania and Bosnia and Herzegovina continueto be part of the Stabilisation and Association Process.