Paul
Goble
Staunton, July 28 – The foreign
ministers of Poland, Lithuania and Ukraine have created a new regional security
cooperation grouping, the Lublin Triangle, both to counter Russian aggression
and promote the continued expansion of Europe (mfa.gov.ua/en/news/joint-declaration-foreign-ministers-republic-poland-republic-lithuania-and-ukraine-establishing-lublin-triangle).
This grouping of states reflects the
search of security in the so-called “lands in between” and is smaller than some
projects but larger than others. As such, if it becomes a regular consultative
and cooperation measure, it will give the countries of the region yet another
way to stand up to Russia and promote their common interests in the West.
Among the most important parts of the
declaration is a commitment never to recognize Russian occupation of Ukraine’s
Crimea and Sevastopol, to promote military cooperation among the three and with
NATO, and to use this format to coordinate responses to challenges in the
security sphere and more broadly.
Below is the text signed by the
three today:
The
Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Poland, Republic of Lithuania
and Ukraine recognize the multi-centennial historical and cultural links
between their nations.
They
also recognize the benefits of creating even stronger political, economic,
infrastructure, security, defense and cultural links between their countries in
contemporary world.
They
draw attention to the activities of Poland, Lithuania and Ukraine in the
process of shaping the modern political, cultural and social realities of
Central Europe.
At
the same time, they underline the strategic importance of intensified
cooperation between the European Union, NATO and Eastern Partnership countries
and pay due attention to the functioning of the Three Seas Initiative.
They
note with due attention common threats in security area as well as in others,
i. e. pandemic threats.
They
underline the important role of dialog between the three countries in the
parliamentary dimension, especially within the Parliamentary Assembly
Poland-Lithuania-Ukraine.
They
recognize the benefits of their trilateral cooperation in the security sphere,
in particular functioning of the Lithuanian-Polish-Ukrainian Brigade
(LitPolUkrBrig).
Taking
into account the ongoing Russian aggression in Ukraine, they commit to
coordinating their activities in order to uphold the international law, both
through trilateral cooperation and within international organizations (NATO,
European Union, United Nations, Council of Europe, OSCE).
They
declare invariably their strong condemnation of the attempted annexation of the
Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol by the Russian
Federation. They do not recognize it and will never do it. They also call upon
Russian Federation to withdraw its troops from the parts of Donetsk and Luhansk
regions of Ukraine.
They
reaffirm their unwavering support to Ukraine’s independence, sovereignty and
territorial integrity within internationally recognized borders and call upon
Russian Federation to stop its aggression against Ukraine, as well as its
temporary occupation of Ukraine’s territories of Crimea and parts of Donetsk
and Luhansk regions of Ukraine.
They
reiterate their firm support for the European and Euro-Atlantic aspirations of
Ukraine and welcome its European choice.
They
note with satisfaction granting of NATO Enhanced Opportunities Partner status
to Ukraine. They support Ukraine’s aspirations to NATO membership. Providing
Ukraine with the NATO Membership Action Plan should be the next step to this
direction.
They
recommit to deepening and broadening of Polish-Lithuanian-Ukrainian
military-to-military cooperation, both through bilateral and trilateral
activities and by making full use of possibilities created by NATO.
They
reaffirm the unwavering commitment to the development of the Eastern
Partnership by broadening and deepening cooperation and proposing ambitious and
strategic long-term goals.
They
commit to providing mutual support in the fight against the coronavirus
pandemic.
They
envisage active actions aiming at promoting trade and investments, securing
better access to regional infrastructure and improving its quality by stepping
up with ambitious projects promoting cohesion in the region.
They
support the cooperation of Ukraine with the Three Seas Initiative, as well as
cooperation within other regional formats.
They
support the effective implementation of political-economic reforms in Ukraine,
taking into account Polish and Lithuanian experiences and best practices worked
out in cooperation with other European countries.
They
commit to strengthening people-to-people contacts and civil society
cooperation, including between scientists and experts.
In
order to ensure achieving the above-mentioned goals the Ministers decide to
create a trilateral platform for political economic and social cooperation
between the Republic of Poland, the Republic of Lithuania and Ukraine - Lublin
Triangle.
The
Ministers decide to organize their regular meetings, also in the margins of
multilateral sessions and with the participation of chosen partners.
They
also decide to organize consultations of high-level MFA officials and establish
liaison-officers within the Ministries of Foreign Affairs.
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