The Inter-Parliamentary Union Task Force for Ukraine led by Rashid Al Nuaimi visits Kiev and Moscow
The newly formed Inter-Parliamentary Union Task Force for Ukraine visited Kyiv early in the second week of July. It plans to travel later to Moscow. The delegation comes at the invitation of the Parliaments of both cities. The delegation, headed by Emirati MP Ali Rashid Al Nuaimi, Vice-President of the IPU, includes members of the parliaments of Namibia, South Africa, Uruguay, Indonesia, Israel and Kazakhstan.
According to the IPU communication, the visits to the Parliaments of both countries include a courtesy telematic meeting with the President of the Polish Senate to explore all possible ways to improve diplomatic relations between Ukraine and Russia in support of governmental and UN efforts.
Still according to the organisation, the visit is an opportunity to help improve the parliamentary systems of both countries, making them more inclusive, transparent and representative of the society they legislate for and serve.
According to the IPU, the aim of the Task Force is to help bring about a ceasefire between the two countries as soon as possible as a first step towards ending hostilities between Russia and Ukraine. In the longer term, they hope to restore diplomatic relations between Russian and Ukrainian institutions.
Speaker @r_stefanchuk together w/ the Executive Committee of the National Parliamentary Group in the @IPUparliament, held a working meeting with the delegation of the Working Group of the #IPU regarding the situation in #Ukraine.#StandWithUkraine pic.twitter.com/Ch8bCbZSvk
— Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine - Ukrainian Parliament (@ua_parliament) July 11, 2022
The IPU mission is led by Ali Rashid Al Nuaimi, chairman of the Defence, Interior and Foreign Affairs Committee of the UAE's Federal National Council, in which 40 UAE notables sit. In addition to his work as a parliamentarian, Al Nuaimi is noted for his academic profile in the field of international relations. He heads the International Steering Board of Hedayah and has experience in the field of higher education.
Nuaimi took the reins of the Task Force for Ukraine at the time of its creation during the IPU assembly in Indonesia in the first month of the war in Ukraine. The Emirati Federal National Council welcomed the IPU's efforts to bring peace to Ukraine. The UAE abstained in April during the vote to suspend Russia from the UN Human Rights Council. The UAE's 'semi-neutral' position, which is similar to that of most Arab countries, could be an interesting asset in brokering peace between Russia and the West.
The IPU is an international organisation based in Switzerland, formed in 1889 and dedicated to promoting peace and understanding between countries through inter-parliamentary diplomacy. Since then, it has grown to bring together members from 178 parliaments around the world, plus 14 other regional parliamentary partners.
