Openingswoord van Jouke de Vries - Evenement naar aanleiding van oorlog in Oekraïne

Het Human Mobility and Migration Lab van de RUG organiseerde afgelopen dinsdag, 15 maart 2022, een evenement naar aanleiding van de oorlog in Oekraïne. Het doel was om de situatie vanuit een humanitair oogpunt te bekijken. Studenten en collega’s hebben tijdens dit evenement de mogelijke humanitaire gevolgen van de oorlog besproken, de situatie bekeken vanuit het perspectief van vluchtelingen en gekeken hoe men humanitaire steun aan de bevolking van Oekraïne kan bieden. Het openingswoord werd uitgesproken door prof. dr. Jouke de Vries, voorzitter van het College van Bestuur.

Openingswoord

Odessa

Sevastopol

Mariupol

Charkov

Kyiv

It sounds like a poem.

The reality in these cities, however, is nothing like a poem; the reality consists of bombing, missile attacks and gunfire! People are killed for no reason. The initiatives of the faculties of the University of Groningen are heartwarming. Our students and lecturers can discuss the consequences of the war in Ukraine. We can show our solidarity with the people of Ukraine.

The Board of the University condemns the war that was started by Mr Putin. It is the war of a dictator supported by a small political regime. It is important that students in Groningen stick together.

President Zelenskiy remains firm. He asked the NATO to impose a ‘no-fly zone’ and he wants Ukraine to be a member of the European Union. NATO members and the European Union have implemented severe economic sanctions, but they don’t want to implement a no-fly zone, and Ukraine can’t be a member of the European Union at this moment.

Ultimately, we are afraid of a nuclear war. Mr Putin is threatening that it might come to that. The essence of politics is to bring hope and prosperity. We fail at that!

We don’t want the total destruction of Ukraine. We don’t want a nuclear war. We need to use all our capabilities to bring both parties to the taste to negotiate.