Senior officials from the Congress of Regional and Local Authorities of the Council of Europe will visit Ukraine on July 17-18, 2014.

The delegation will be headed by President of the Congress Herwig van Staa, and include president of the local chamber of the Congress Jean-Claude Frecon and president of the regional chamber of the Congress Nataliya Romanova, as well as the presidents of the Congress political groups and the rapporteur on Ukraine, the CoE said in a press release.

The aim of the visit is to hold an exchange of views with Ukrainian political representatives on the latest developments as regards the ongoing political crisis in the country as well as on decentralization in light of the European Charter of Local Self-Government.

On July 17, high level meetings are scheduled in Kyiv with government representatives, in particular with Deputy Prime Minister and Regional Development, Construction, Housing and Utilities Economy Minister Volodymyr Hroisman, First Deputy Minister for Regional Development Viacheslav Nehoda, Special Representative of the Ukrainian President for Donetsk and Luhansk regions Iryna Heraschenko, representatives of the President's Administration and the Verkhovna Rada.

The delegation will also meet with Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko, and ex-leader of the Mejlis (parliament) of the Crimean Tatar People and MP Mustafa Jemilev.

On July 18, the delegation will visit Odesa where it will exchange views with the city's mayor Hennadiy Trukhanov, with representatives of Odesa Regional Council and Governor of Odesa region Ihor Palytsia.