site.btaUkrainian Ambassador Baltazhy: Russia Is Responsible for Restoring Peace in Donbass

Ukrainian Ambassador Baltazhy: Russia Is Responsible for Restoring Peace in Donbass

Sofia, January 31 (BTA) - Interviewed by BTA, Ukrainian Ambassador Mykola Baltazhy said that if the conflict in eastern Ukraine is to be regulated politically, the necessary security conditions must be created. Holding local elections in Donbass under the barrel of the terrorists' guns will be very far removed from election democracy, he said. "Our position is clear. OSCE's full mandatory verification of the implementation of the Minsk agreements by Russia is a prerequisite for the start of a political process," Ambassador Baltazhy said. "Unfortunately, the situation in eastern Ukraine remains extremely tense, the terrorist forces are not complying with the agreements on allowing the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission into the temporarily occupied Donetsk and Luhansk regions."

Although still complicated, the economic situation is improving, the Ukrainian diplomat said. In the third quarter of 2015, GDP grew 1 per cent from the second quarter. In 2016 GDP is projected to grow in the range of 1 per cent to 2.4 per cent.

The top economic event is the launch of the EU-Ukraine Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area as of January 1, 2016. This agreement is less about the opening up of new business and investment opportunities due to trade liberalization than about making a major step towards the integration of Ukraine's economy in the European economic and political area, the Ambassador said.

In 2016 Ukraine expects to be included in the list of countries whose citizens do not need visas for short travel in the Schengen countries, Ambassador Baltazhy said. He recalled that last December the European Commission found that the criteria of the second phase of the Action Plan had been met and recommended to the Member States and the European Parliament to introduce visa-free travel for Ukrainians.