EBCOG Council Meeting
For the past several months and weeks, obstetrician-gynecologists in Ukraine have been working tirelessly under harsh military conditions, providing vital assistance on the front lines, temporarily occupied territories and medical facilities throughout the country. Simultaneously, the Association of Obstetricians and Gynecologists has been making significant strides on the international front, securing large amounts of humanitarian aid and diplomatic support from national societies of obstetricians and gynecologists around the world.
On May 20th and 21st, the Ukrainian delegation, led by the President of the Association of Obstetricians and Gynecologists of Ukraine (AASU), Professor Valerii Zaporozhan, participated in an online meeting of the EBCOG Council. The delegation was comprised of National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine Academician Prof. Viaacheslav Kaminskyi, the head of the AASU’s international branch, Dmytro Ledin, as well as EBCOG President Prof. Basil Tarlatzis and EBCOG General Secretary Dr. Nuno Martins.
During the meeting, the AASU representatives highlighted the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine, the use of sexual violence as a weapon of war in the Russian Federation, and the difficulties women and children face in accessing full medical care. The EBCOG Council’s key decision was to unanimously support a resolution to exclude the Russian Federation and Belarus from all governing and executive bodies of the EBCOG, remove them from the EBCOG Council, and completely terminate any scientific or practical cooperation until the military forces of the aggressor completely withdraw from Ukraine’s territory, and Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity are restored.
We extend our congratulations to all obstetrician-gynecologists in Ukraine, as well as the entire medical community, on this significant decision. It not only shows the full support of Ukraine from our European colleagues but also serves as a moral and ethical reference point for other professional communities worldwide.