The NATO-Ukraine Commission met at NATO Headquarters on March 6, 2019, to discuss the current situation in Russia-occupied Crimea.
The Political Director of Ukraine's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Oleksiy Makeiev, and a representative of the Crimean Tatar community, Eskender Bariiev, briefed Allies on the security environment and human rights violations, NATO said in a statement.
Allies reaffirmed NATO's unwavering support for Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity. They expressed concern over human rights violations in Crimea, targeting the Crimean Tatar population, as well as other ethnic, political, and religious groups.
"Crimea is Ukraine. Five years on, NATO Allies do not and will not recognise Russia's illegal annexation. We continue to stand by Ukraine with political and practical support. We have not forgotten the heavy price the Ukrainian people continue to pay for their desire to decide their own future free from outside interference," NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said.
NATO continues to call on Russia to immediately release the Ukrainian sailors and ships it seized near the Kerch Strait in November 2018. Allies have increased their practical support to Ukraine in light of the security situation in the Black Sea.
