The FINANCIAL — The EU is seriously concerned about the legislation adopted by the Ukrainian Parliament last week and the events over the weekend, EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton said at a press conference following the Foreign Affairs Council meeting in Brussels. The new laws significantly restrict the fundamental rights of Ukrainian citizens, she stressed, according to EU Neighbourhood Info.
Ashton called on Kyiv “to ensure that this legislation is reversed and brought into line with Ukraine's European and international commitments, ” urging all sides “to engage in inclusive dialogue to find a democratic solution to this political crisis.”
Responding to a media’s question about the role of the US in supporting the Ukrainian people, Ashton said “we work closely with our colleagues in the US.”
She cited her earlier encounter with President Yanukovych in Kyiv, in particular “his ambition to sign an Association Agreement” with the EU “to be able to make sure that he has strong and good relations with us and good relations of course with its neighbour Russia as well.” This is “the approach that we should continue to take,” Ashton argued, adding that a broader discussion on the Eastern Partnership would take place during at the next Foreign Affairs Council.
Ashton’s comments came as EU Delegation to Ukraine announced in its Facebook post that Commissioner for Neighbourhood Policy Štefan Füle would visit Ukraine on Friday and Saturday to discuss the recent developments in the country. In Kyiv, he will meet representatives of the authorities and opposition, as well as representatives of the civil society, according to EU Neighbourhood Info.
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