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EU urges Ukraine to respect rights of minorities

Friday, 30 January 2015 9:02 AM [ Last Update: Friday, 30 January 2015 9:02 AM ]

EU headquarters in Brussels, Belgium

The European Union has called on the Ukrainian government to put into effect critical reforms concerning the country’s minorities including the pro-Russian protesters, stressing the importance of such changes for stronger Kiev-EU ties.

In a statement issued following a Thursday meeting in Brussels, the Foreign Affairs Council of the European Union urged “Ukraine to deliver concrete results in key reform areas to reply to the population’s aspirations of a democratic and modernized Ukraine, respecting the rights of persons belonging to national minorities.”

“The Council reiterates its call on the government of Ukraine to accelerate the implementation of political and economic reforms,” the statement added.

The statement further cautioned Ukraine that such reforms are “crucial” to the enhancement of economic and political relations between Kiev and the European Union.

“These reforms should stabilize the economic, financial and political situation and anchor the support of the international community, including by developing a climate suitable for investment,” the statement added.

The EU call comes as Ukrainian parliament has officially declared the pro-Russian forces in the restive east as terrorists.

The official parliamentary designation would make pro-Russians subject to the counter-terrorism law, which allows Kiev to block their bank accounts, restrict their movement in the Ukrainian territory, and prevent them from contributing to peace talks.

Ukraine’s mainly Russian-speaking regions in the east have witnessed deadly clashes between pro-Russia forces and the Ukrainian army since Kiev launched military operations to silence the pro-Russians in mid-April.

Violence in eastern Ukraine intensified in May after the two flashpoint regions of Donetsk and Luhansk held local referendums in which their residents voted overwhelmingly in favor of independence from Ukraine.

The conflict between Ukraine’s army and pro-Russians in the eastern regions have killed more than 5,000 people and displaced over a million since mid-April 2014, the UN says.

HJM/MKA

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