Brussels, 06/05/2014 (Agence Europe) - On 6 May, Maja Kocijancic, the spokesperson for High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Catherine Ashton, said that the European Union is open to further discussions being held in Geneva on the Ukrainian crisis. Questioned on the German proposal, which is supported by France, of organising another meeting, Kocijancic stated that the EU is “open to any initiative that could lead to the end of the violence and to the de-escalation of the current crisis”.
Elections on 25 May are important factor in stabilisation, according to EU. Kocijancic again called for the Geneva agreement of 17 April to be applied. “In the context of the elections, the implementation of the agreement is still more important”, she said.
Although the Ukrainian presidential elections are planned for 25 May, the violence continues on the ground in the east of the country. “It is very important that the elections take place in a transparent, free and fair way, and in the context of international standards”, Kocijancic stated. “The elections are an important stabilisation factor of the situation in Ukraine (…). They offer the possibility for everyone to express themselves, to support the candidate of their choice”, she said. She continued that “the election must be well prepared”. “We encourage the authorities to continue the necessary reforms on an inclusive basis”, she said.
Through its president Didier Burkhalter, the OSCE called on the same day for a ceasefire ahead of the elections. “We need a ceasefire for the elections”, he told press. The Ukrainian authorities have, for their part, asked their “partners to send international observers to Ukraine to monitor the elections” and to “do everything possible to remove the external threats and provocations that are supported by Russia in Ukraine, so that the elections might be conducted in a free and democratic fashion”.
The EU supports the OSCE electoral observation mission which could involve 1,000 people. Through an envelope of €1.5 million, 105 of these observers will be remunerated by the EU. (CG)