DUBROVNIK – The leaders of Ukraine and South-East European countries endorsed the Dubrovnik Declaration at yesterday’s summit hosted by Croatia. The document reaffirmed support for Ukraine’s independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity, as well as support for Ukraine’s Peace Formula of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
The document also reiterated leaders’ “determination to intensify joint efforts to ensure further progress and mutual support to South East European partners, Ukraine, the Republic of Moldova and Georgia on their path towards EU membership”. It urged all countries not to provide material or other support for Russia’s war of aggression and recalled the relevance of alignment with the European Union’s Common Foreign and Security Policy decisions and measures.
The Dubrovnik summit continues the series of high-level meetings between Western Balkans, South East Europe and Ukraine, which includes the 2023 Athens Summit and the 2024 Tirana Summit.
The participants of the summit were Prime Minister of Croatia Andrej Plenković and President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy as the cohosts, as well as President of Kosovo Vjosa Osmani, President of Montenegro Jakov Milatović, President of Serbia Aleksandar Vučić, Prime Minister of Albania Edi Rama, Prime Minister of North Macedonia Hristijan Mickoski, Chairwoman of the Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina Borjana Krišto and Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Moldova Mihai Popșoi.
Officials of EU member states from the region also participated, including the President of Slovenia Nataša Pirc Musar, Prime Minister of Bulgaria Dimitar Glavchev, Prime Minister of Greece Kyriakos Mitsotakis and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Romania Luminița Teodora Odobescu. Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkey Hakan Fidan and Vice-President of the European Commission Dubravka Šuica also took part in the summit.
The full text of the Declaration
Today, as the Participants of the Dubrovnik Summit, we issue the following Declaration:
1. Almost 1000 days have passed since the start of Russia’s full-scale military invasion of Ukraine. We condemn this unprovoked, unjustifiable and illegal Russian war of aggression against Ukraine in the strongest possible terms. Russia’s war of aggression is a crime against the Ukrainian people; a flagrant violation of international law, including the UN Charter; and a great threat to peace, security and stability of South East Europe, the entire European continent, and the world as a whole.
2. Our support for Ukraine’s independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity within its internationally recognised borders remains absolute. We reconfirm our unwavering commitment to providing continued multifaceted support to Ukraine and its people for as long as it takes.
3. We express our respect and sympathy with the Ukrainian people, who have been resisting Russia’s armed aggression since 2014 with courage, endurance and heroism.
4. Building on the Joint Declaration of the First Parliamentary Summit of the International Crimea Platform, adopted in Zagreb on 25 October 2022 and the results of the 4th Summit of the International Crimea Platform, held in Kyiv on 11 September 2024, we stress our unwavering commitment to the restoration of Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, including Crimea, through further providing Ukraine with comprehensive assistance to counter Russia’s aggression.
5. We fully support the outcomes of the Summit on Peace in Ukraine, held in Switzerland in June 2024. The path to a comprehensive, just, and lasting peace for Ukraine can only be based on international law, including the UN Charter. In this regard, we reaffirm our support to Ukraine’s Peace Formula of President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy as an essential framework to restore such peace. We express our support to Ukraine’s efforts in this direction and stress our readiness to participate actively in the implementation of the points of the Peace Formula.
6. We urge the whole International Community, in its efforts to restore international peace and security globally, to intensify its support for Ukraine in its ongoing struggle for freedom, independence and territorial integrity. In parallel, we urge all countries not to provide material or other support for Russia’s war of aggression. We recalled the relevance of alignment with the European Union’s Common Foreign and Security Policy decisions and measures.
7. We stress that any form of aggression against a sovereign state is unacceptable. All countries must refrain from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity, sovereignty or political independence of any state. In this context, we emphasise that the withdrawal of Russian troops and military equipment from the entire territory of Ukraine, cessation of hostilities and restoration of Ukraine’s full control over its state borders, are non-negotiable conditions for the restoration of peace.
8. We condemn in the strongest possible terms any attempts by Russia to forcibly and illegally annex parts of Ukraine’s territory. Such attempts represent a blatant violation of international law, including the UN Charter, and Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. The Autonomous Republic of Crimea, the City of Sevastopol, Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk and Zaporizhzhia regions are integral parts of Ukraine. In this context, we consider the so-called “elections” held by Russia in March and September 2024 on Ukrainian territory to be null and void.
9. We reiterate our determination to intensify joint efforts to ensure further progress and mutual support to South East European partners, Ukraine, the Republic of Moldova and Georgia on their path towards EU membership on a merit-based approach. The accession of these new members to the European Union is the best guarantee of regional stability, security and prosperity. We welcome the opening of EU accession negotiations with Ukraine, as well as with Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Republic of Moldova.
10. We welcome that, at the NATO Washington Summit, Allies reiterated their commitment to continue to support Ukraine on its irreversible path to full Euro-Atlantic integration, including NATO membership.
11. We again underline our firm commitment of bringing to justice those individuals responsible for the crime of aggression, crimes against humanity and war crimes committed during Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine.
12. We note Ukraine’s ratification of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court as an important step towards justice for the most serious crimes of concern to the International Community and emphasise the importance of ensuring the Court’s ability to exercise its jurisdiction fully.
13. We agree to continue to cooperate and focus our efforts on the release of all prisoners of war, unlawfully detained persons, and the return of all illegally deported and forcibly relocated Ukrainians, especially children.
14. We agree that the topics of food security and demining intersect and mutually reinforce one another. In line with the conclusions of the International Donors’ Conference on Humanitarian Demining in Ukraine, which was held in Zagreb on 11 and 12 October 2023, we discussed demining in the context of Ukraine’s recovery, as the crucial first step towards the safe return of people and resumption of economic and agricultural activity. Food security must not be weaponised. Ukrainian agricultural products should be safely and freely provided to interested countries. In this regard, free, full and safe commercial navigation, in line with the international law, as well as access to sea ports in the Black and Azov Seas, are critical. Attacks on merchant ships in ports and along the entire route, as well as against civilian ports and civilian port infrastructure, are unacceptable.
15. We underscore the critical importance of Ukraine’s energy security, especially taking into account the upcoming winter. Ukrainian power stations and energy grid continue to suffer massive damage as a result of Russia’s systematic and deliberate attacks. Today, we examined the options to step up our efforts – including further mobilising the private sector – in providing Ukraine with the equipment and financing needed to mitigate the consequences. We also underscore the need for more coordination and planning at regional level and for efficient electricity interconnectors in order to absorb the shock of the damage caused by Russia’s attacks.
16. We also emphasise that any use of nuclear energy and nuclear installations must be safe, secured, safe-guarded and environmentally sound. In this context we stressthat the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant must return under full sovereign control of Ukraine and operate safely and securely in line with IAEA seven indispensable pillars and five concrete principles and under its supervision.
17. We express our commitment to continue participating in the ongoing and postwar recovery and reconstruction of Ukraine, in order to enable the Ukrainian people to rebuild their country, engaging all relevant partners, including private companies and international financial institutions, with the aim of securing the financial support, investments and expertise needed to ensure a prosperous future for Ukraine.
18. There can be no free, peaceful and prosperous Europe without a free, peaceful and prosperous Ukraine. The commitment of the Participants of the Ukraine – South East Europe Dubrovnik Summit to this goal remains ironclad.