Arthur de Laborde / Photo credits: Christophe ARCHAMBAULT / AFP
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8:45 a.m., May 17, 2023
A year after excluding Russia from their ranks, the heads of state and government of the 46 states of the Council of Europe have since met on Tuesday for a summit in Reykjavík, Iceland. At the podium, Emmanuel Macron notably announced the creation of an international register of war damage from the Russian invasion.
The opportunity to send “a message of support and unity vis-à-vis Ukraine”. The heads of state and government of the 46 states of the Council of Europe have since met on Tuesday for a summit in Reykjavik, Iceland. A rare meeting since it is only the fourth summit of this type organized by the organization in 74 years of existence.
“Forced transfers of children are war crimes”
Present at the podium, Emmanuel Macron took the opportunity to announce the creation of an international register of war damage from the Russian invasion, calling on “all states to join and actively contribute to its development”.
This damage register is intended to be a first step in documenting claims for compensation from victims and legal proceedings against the Kremlin. “I am thinking of the bombing of civilian infrastructure, the rapes used as a weapon of war, the murders, the generalized torture”, declared Emmanuel Macron.
The French president insisted on the fate of Ukrainian children deported to Russia. “The forced transfers of children are war crimes and generalized can constitute crimes against humanity. Russia must return its children to Ukraine and it must do so immediately”, added the President of the Republic.
Start a big project
Emmanuel Macron also wishes to help treat the psychological injuries inflicted on Ukrainian fighters and the civilian population. “I propose that we can launch a major project and support the installation of a hundred mental health centers in Ukraine,” concluded the Head of State.
These centers will be financed by the Council of Europe Development Bank, which will also help in the reconstruction of schools, hospitals and maternities.