site.btaUkrainian Foreign Minister: No Disproportionate Mobilization in Ukraine

Ukrainian Foreign Minister: No Disproportionate Mobilization in Ukraine

Sofia, February 16 (BTA) - Meeting with Bulgarian Foreign
Minister Daniel Mitov, his Ukrainian counterpart Pavlo Klimkin
ruled out any disproportionate mobilization in Ukraine. Klimkin
is on an official visit to Bulgaria at Mitov's invitation on
Monday.

Klimkin said allegations of disproportionate mobilization were
speculation, adding that out of a Bulgarian community of more
than 200,000, twenty Ukrainian citizens of Bulgarian origin were
called up to the army in the latest wave of mobilization.

All the developments in Ukraine, its struggle for independence
and freedom and for the European values are not happening and
will not happen along national lines, said Klimkin, stressing
that the Ukrainians are united in their struggle for a single,
democratic, European Ukraine.

Answering a question, Klimkin said: "We are fully committed to
implementing the Minsk agreements. We and the Ukrainian armed
forces fully observe the ceasefire, but unfortunately we
received 112 shelling attacks from the Donetsk and Luhansk
terrorists in the last 24 hours." Tension remains extremely
high, the Ukrainian chief diplomat said.

He thanked Bulgaria for its unwavering support for Ukraine's
sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Mitov said this had been the first official visit to Bulgaria by
a Ukrainian foreign minister since 2008. Klimkin's visit
clearly reaffirms the trust between the two countries and the
prospects for their relations.

Ukraine holds an important place in Bulgaria's foreign policy
priorities - not just due to the geographic, linguistic,
historical, cultural and religious proximity of the two nations,
but due to the large Bulgarian diaspora in Ukraine's territory,
said Mitov. Klimkin pledged to help Sofia send food and
medicines as humanitarian relief to ethnic Bulgarians in the
Donbass region. He assured Mitov that nothing less than the high
international standards of good treatment of the minorities
would be applied to ethnic Bulgarians in Ukraine.

Mitov reiterated Bulgaria's position in support of Ukraine's
sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity and of a
peaceful settlement of the conflict in Eastern Ukraine. Mitov
again expressed support for Ukraine's European and Euro-Atlantic
orientation.

Mitov said: "Ukraine's European perspective depends on the
reforms we all expect to be carried out." He added that Bulgaria
is ready to offer its support and expert assistance.

"We are all hopeful about the results of the Minsk accords, I am
glad and my colleague's opinion that this agreement gives a
chance for first steps towards a de-escalation of the conflict
fills me with hope," Mitov said, stressing that observing the
ceasefire was of key importance.

In the presence of Culture Minister Vezhdi Rashidov, a ceremony
was held for the return to Ukraine of two icons smuggled out of
that country.