PARLIAMENTARIAN STATEMENT ON UKRAINE

Following an emergency meeting under the auspices of the CPG on Nuclear Disarmament on Monday, MSP’s have signed a statement calling for an immediate end to war in Ukraine.

All MSPs were invited to sign the statement by SNP MSP Bill Kidd - Co-President of Parliamentarians for Nuclear Non-Proliferation and Disarmament (PNND), an international organisation comprising 70 Parliaments and over 800 members from around the World who engage in working towards nuclear non-proliferation and nuclear disarmament issues.

With the statement, it emphasises that “it is in the interest of the peoples of Ukraine, Russia, and the rest of the world that further conflict escalation is prevented, and a peaceful resolution is quickly guaranteed. Such a progression requires renewed diplomatic efforts and the maintenance of diplomatic channels between states involved, to allow for routes out of conflict.”

Commenting SNP MSP Bill Kidd said:

“As parliamentarians, it is imperative that we use all influence we have to urge states to re-engage and renew their efforts in the nuclear disarmament process and for President Putin to withdraw all his troops from Ukraine.

“We are collectively facing a dangerous moment in history, which has already resulted in unimaginable sorrow and pain for the people of Ukraine. This sorrow must not continue, it must not grow.

“We are all trying to find every possible way that we can stand with Ukraine right now and as parliamentarians we have a level of influence that we have a duty to use in a meaningful way. Coming together on this statement illustrates the strength of feeling from the Scottish Parliament.”