12/02/2015 President
“I warmly but cautiously welcome today’s announcement of a ceasefire in eastern Ukraine,” said Anne Brasseur, President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE). “This is an encouraging sign of a possible resolution to the crisis in the country, even though major hurdles remain.”
“I call on all sides to now act responsibly to preserve and implement this agreement. Above all, the violence must stop.
It is vital that this opportunity for peace is seized, which would allow Ukraine to move forward with the necessary reforms, including changes to the constitution and decentralisation. The Council of Europe and its Assembly will continue to support the Ukrainian authorities in their efforts to implement these indispensable and urgent reforms.
I am also encouraged by President Poroshenko’s statement that an agreement has been reached on the liberation of Nadiia Savchenko, currently in detention in Moscow, who is now a member of the Ukrainian delegation to our Assembly.
The Assembly stands ready to support the peace process in any way it can. Kristýna Zelienková, our rapporteur on the political consequences of the crisis in Ukraine, will already visit the country next week, travelling to the east just after the ceasefire is due to come into effect and later meeting President Poroshenko in Kyiv. The two monitoring co-rapporteurs for PACE, Mailis Reps (Estonia, ALDE) and Jean-Claude Mignon (France, EPP/CD), will also visit Ukraine next month.”