EU: Joint statement on the parliamentary elections in Ukraine by President of the European Council Herman Van Rompuy and President of the European Commission José Manuel Barroso (27.10.2014)

The EU welcomes the holding yesterday of parliamentary elections in Ukraine. We take good note of the OSCE/ODIHR’s preliminary assessment that they marked an important step in Ukraine’s aspirations to consolidate democratic elections in line with its international commitments. This was a victory of the people of Ukraine and of democracy. The electoral mandate given by the Ukrainian people must now be implemented.

We look forward to the early formation of a new Government. On the basis of the outcome of the elections a broad national consensus should be sought in view of intensifying much needed political and economic reforms in Ukraine. A reinvigorated reform process, including the launching of a country-wide national dialogue, will be crucial in view of Ukraine’s political association and economic integration with the EU and to consolidate Ukraine’s unity and internal cohesion. We look forward to working closely together with the new Verkhovna Rada and the future new government to assist in these endeavours.

We reiterate the importance that the upcoming early local elections in Donbas later this year will be held under Ukrainian law and will serve the same goal of de-escalation and focusing on reforms through an inclusive dialogue between the Ukrainian Government and democratically elected representatives.

Quelle: <http://www.consilium.europa.eu/uedocs/cms_data/docs/pressdata/en/ec/145481.pdf>

U.S.: Statement by the President on Parliamentary Elections in Ukraine (27.10.2014)

On behalf of the American people, I congratulate the people of Ukraine on holding successful parliamentary elections on October 26. Despite a challenging security environment in certain regions, millions of Ukrainians turned out across the country to cast their ballots in an orderly and peaceful manner. I commend the Government of Ukraine for the conduct of the campaign and election day vote, which international monitoring organizations assess to have been largely in line with international standards.

At the same time, it is clear that Russian authorities occupying Crimea and Russian-backed separatists in parts of eastern Ukraine prevented many Ukrainian citizens from exercising their democratic rights to participate in national elections and cast their votes. I call on Russia to ensure that its proxies in eastern Ukraine allow voters in the parts of Donetsk and Luhansk subject to the Special Status Law to choose their representatives in legitimate local elections on December 7, in keeping with the agreement that Russia and separatist representatives signed in Minsk, Belarus, on September 5, 2014. The United States will not recognize any election held in separatist-held areas that does not comport with Ukrainian law and is not held with the express consent and under the authority of the Ukrainian government.

Yesterday’s parliamentary vote represents another important milestone in Ukraine’s democratic development. We look forward to the convening of the new parliament and the quick formation of a strong, inclusive government. The United States stands ready to support the choices of the Ukrainian people and Ukraine’s new government as it enacts and implements the reforms necessary to promote further democratic development, strengthen the rule of law, and foster economic stability and growth in Ukraine. The United States also will continue to support Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity as it works toward a peaceful resolution of the conflict in the east and a return of Crimea, and will stand with its people as they seek to build a more secure, prosperous, and democratic future.

Quelle: <http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2014/10/27/statement-president-parliamentary-elections-ukraine>

Russian Federation: Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s interview with Life News television and Izvestia daily, Moscow, 27 October 2014

Question: Ukraine has just held parliamentary elections. Does Moscow recognise them?

Sergey Lavrov: The elections are being monitored by observers, including OSCE observers, and there are Russian representatives among them. This time, Russia’s Federal Assembly did not send a separate observer team to the elections, so we will wait for the conclusions of the international OSCE team.

The elections seem to be valid, though not in every part of Ukraine. I think Russia will recognise their results as it is critically important for Ukraine to obtain, at long last, a leadership that will not engage in petty infighting and drag the country from east to west and back again, but one that will address real Ukrainian problems. Ukraine needs a government that will think how the nation should regain unity. It needs a government to guarantee an equal status to all Ukrainian citizens irrespective of the language they speak and political convictions they have. No one should be victimised on political and other grounds, as has been the case until recently.

(…)

Quelle: <http://www.mid.ru/brp_4.nsf/0/EF40A589BC597EE9C3257D7F00386A2C>

OSCE: Elections in Ukraine another step towards stabilization, says CiO, calling for enhanced efforts to implement Minsk commitments

BERN, 27 October 2014—Didier Burkhalter, Swiss Foreign Minister and OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, congratulated Ukrainians for taking part in the early elections of the parliamentary assembly. Taking good note of the preliminary findings of the International Election Observation Mission that these elections marked an important step in Ukraine’s aspirations to consolidate democratic elections in line with its international commitments, he thanked the election observation mission of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (OSCE/ODIHR) and the observation delegation of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly as well as other international institutions for their engagement. He added that he regretted the fact that in Crimea and some districts of eastern Ukraine, which are currently not under the control of the Ukrainian authorities, Ukrainian citizens could not exercise their voters rights.

Holding these parliamentary elections was another crucial step for stabilizing the situation in Ukraine, Burkhalter said. The Protocol and Memorandum signed in Minsk on September 5 and September 19 respectively remained the indispensable basis for a sustainable solution of the crisis. He urged all stakeholders to fully implement the commitments under these documents, in particular with regard to the respect of the cease-fire and to an effective control of the border area between Ukraine and the Russian Federation. The Trilateral Contact Group should convene without delay to as to advance implementation of these commitments, the CiO proposed.

Burkhalter expressed concerns about reports on a deepening social and economic crisis in the area of conflict and said that any of these issues could effectively be addressed only in cooperation with legitimate representatives of local communities. Local elections in that area must therefore be held in full accordance with the Minsk protocol and with Ukrainian legislation.

The OSCE was continuing to work at all levels to assist the Ukrainian government in its efforts to further de-escalate the situation, Burkhalter said. The expansion of the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine (SMM) to 500 monitors, including more than 300 monitors in eastern parts of Ukraine, was ongoing, Burkhalter added. He pointed out that the speed of this expansion depended on available monitors and equipment, on sufficient funding, and on safe access to the relevant areas. The OSCE was grateful for the more than 150 qualified candidatures since Minsk, he said, adding that the SMM will need further qualified monitors in the weeks and months ahead. The CiO also called on participating and partner States to help close the SMM funding gap until March 2015 of €40.0 Mio in order to enable the SMM to fully and sustainably live up to its tasks.

Burkhalter took positive note of the successful integration into the SMM of civilian unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) operating under the authority and direction of the SMM. He expressed his expectation that this complementary aerial information-gathering possibility would support the SMM in fulfilling its mandate regarding the monitoring of the security situation in Ukraine. Following the offers made by France, Germany, Italy, Ukraine and the Russian Federation to put military UAVs and related personnel at the OSCE’s disposal too, rapid and intensive consultations on the modalities of the use of such UAVs had been launched in Vienna, Burkhalter said. A spirit of pragmatism and cooperation by all parties would be indispensable for consensus on this matter to emerge rapidly, he concluded.

Quelle: <http://www.osce.org/cio/126075>