A delegation of Ukrainian non-governmental organizations visiting Taiwan yesterday called for more support and cooperation from democracies, including Taiwan, in the face of challenges from authoritarian regimes.
“Democracies that are facing threats from authoritarian regimes should be supported” by “stakeholders on an international level,” Yevheniia Fedotova, vice president of the Liberal Democratic League of Ukraine, told a news conference in Taipei.
The organization, consisting mainly of young people, is dedicated to building and developing a liberal democracy in Ukraine.
Photo: CNA
Ukrainians still face an “existential threat,” Fedotova said, adding that an estimated 20,000 Ukrainian children have been kidnapped by Russian troops since the Kremlin’s invasion began in February 2022.
Countries sharing the same values of democracy and human rights should call on Russia to return those children to their families in Ukraine, she said.
The delegation arrived in Taiwan on Monday for a six-day visit. It has spoken with representatives from the Democratic Progressive Party and the Taiwan People’s Party about potential collaboration, as well as with more than a dozen civil society groups.
Other members of the delegation are Uliana Dzurliak, an architect involved in rebuilding projects in Ukraine, and Asami Terajima, a Ukrainian journalist with the Kyiv Independent English-language online newspaper.
Fedotova also appealed for direct assistance from Taiwan because Ukraine is still in need of humanitarian aid, such as water supply systems and medicine.
The two countries should “join forces in research and development projects,” she added.
At the same time, Ukraine would like to contribute to Taiwanese society in areas where it has expertise, said Dzurliak, who chairs the Right Room Foundation.
“We are ready to share our experience and best practices in the field of civil protection,” Dzurliak said.
“More than 90 percent of civil training centers [in Ukraine] are created by non-governmental organizations,” she said, adding that in strong democratic states “grassroots movements play a key role in the protection [and] resilience development” of countries.
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