ORU FOGAR denounces the bombardment of the headquarters of a regional council in Ukraine

During the bombardment of the Kharkiv Regional Council on the first of March, ORU Fogar President Rashid el Abdi recorded a message condemning the bombing, while expressing his solidarity with the Donbass region (and the city of Mariupol) in which, he recalled, ORU Fogar had kept in touch and worked. 

In the message, and after condemning the use of violence as a method of conflict resolution, ORU Fogar defended governance based on respect for diversity, decentralization and recognition of territories. These principles, he said, have been proven to promote the development of peoples. He also recalled the experiences of territorial integration, which sometimes go beyond borders and "old hatreds".

Beyond ORU Fogar, one by one, regional associations opposed the military action of the Russian Federation to invade the sovereign territory of Ukraine.

The first to speak were representatives of the Assembly of European Regions. They called for solidarity between all regions of Europe, while advocating dialogue in the face of threats and military escalations. "Democratic principles," says their manifesto, "are essential to protect the freedoms of all citizens, regions and countries in Europe. The pursuit of democracy is closely linked to the right of peoples to self-determination. This is one of the fundamental principles of international law, which states that a nation has the right to decide freely on its political status, the form of its government and its economic, social and cultural development."

The Association of European Border Regions (AEBR) also condemned the invasion of Ukrainian territory by the armed forces of the Russian Federation. AEBR, which has an office in Ukraine, namely in Kharkiv, recalled its annual Kursk conference held near the Russian-Ukrainian border on 21 September 2011. The conference provided an opportunity to discuss good practices in cross-border and neighbourhood cooperation which shows that the determination of borders by war is a solution that no longer belongs to the twenty-first century. Aware of this reality, the AEBR Steering Committee called on the Russian Federation to respect the integrity, sovereignty of the Ukrainian state and existing territorial borders. This requires an immediate halt to its military actions and the withdrawal of its troops from Ukraine. Similarly, AEBR said Russia must immediately withdraw its recognition of the so-called "Donetsk and Luhansk People's Republics", which is contrary to international law.

Statement by the President of ORU Fogar

We invite you to also consult the following statements::

• AEBR (Association of European Border Regions)
• President of the Congress (of Local and Regional Authorities – Council of Europe), Leendert Verbeek
• President and the SG of the AER (Assembly of European Regions), Magnus Berntsson and Christian Spahr
• Transfrontier Euro-Institut Network (TEIN)
• European Union’s Regions and Cities at the Marseille Summit