Ukrainian president, Italian parliament chair speak for provision of immediate access of human rights activists to Crimea

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko and President of the Chamber of Deputies of Italy Laura Boldrini have spoken about the need to immediately provide the access for representatives of international human rights institutions to the temporary occupied territory of Crimea.

During the meeting, the parties discussed the deteriorating situation with human rights protection in Crimea and stressed the need for ensuring immediate access to the temporarily occupied territory of the peninsula for international human rights institutions, the Ukrainian president's press service reported.

"Poroshenko praised the resolution of the Italian Parliament, which recommends the Italian government to continue the EU's policy of sanctions against Russia until the full implementation of the Minsk agreements," the press service said.

The Ukrainian president praised the intensification of contacts between MPs of the two states. The evidence of that was the recent visit to Rome of the Verkhovna Rada's delegation of the group of friendship with Italy.

For her part, the Italian speaker expressed her support for the provision of the visa-free regime for Ukraine having noted a great contribution of the Ukrainian community of Italy to the prosperity of the country and Europe as a whole.

She also confirmed her willingness to visit Ukraine at the invitation of her Ukrainian counterpart with the view to support the dynamics of inter-parliamentary dialogue, Poroshenko's press service said.