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EP President: EU should not block dialogue with Ukraine over Yulia Tymoshenko case

The European Union should not block the dialogue with Ukraine over the "shame" of imprisoned ex-Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko's case, European Parliament President Martin Schulz says.
Europos Parlamento pirmininkas Martinas Schulzas
EP President Martin Schulz / BFL/Vyginto Skaraičio nuotr.

In an interview with BNS on the sidelines of a European Council meeting in Brussels, he said that it's too early to say whether the EU will sign an Association Agreement with Ukraine in November.

"Europeans should not block the dialogue with Ukraine because of the Tymoshenko case, which is the shame but not the only problem," he said.

In his words, Tymoshenko herself has said once that her case should not became an obstacle on Ukraine's European path.

"I am optimistic that sooner or later we will also find a solution for the Tymoshenko case. But we must raise another question. And here I quote Yulia Tymoshenko: "My case should not block the way of Ukraine in the direction of Europe," Schulz said.

One of the organizers of the 2004 Orange Revolution, Tymoshenko was sentenced to seven years in prison in October 2011 for exceeding her powers as Ukraine's prime minister during negotiations on a gas contract with Russia.

Meanwhile, Tymoshenko says the real motive behind her conviction is the wish to eliminate her from politics, and underlines that her rights are being violated.

The EU has accused Ukraine of "selective justice." The issue is being actively raised by EU special envoys, former Polish President Aleksander Kwasniewski and  former EP President Pat Cox.

Ukraine hopes to sign an Association Agreement, including a free trade agreement, with the European Union during an EU Eastern Partnership summit in Vilnius, which will take place under the Lithuanian EU presidency in November.

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