You're reading: The Batkivschyna Party: Azarov’s statement on Tymoshenko in Le Figaro is ‘false insinuation’

The Batkivschyna Party has said that Ukrainian Premier Mykola Azarov in an interview with France's Le Figaro newspaper resorted to "a cynical lie" while commenting on the gas case against Ukraine's ex-Premier Yulia Tymoshenko.

"In his answer to the first question of the French journalists, Azarov lied at least three times," reads a statement of the Batkivschyna Party’s press service on the party’s Web site.

According to Tymoshenko’s supporters, Azarov’s statement, according to which in 2009 Tymoshenko personally signed with Russian Premier Vladimir Putin a contract on prices of Russian gas supplies, was "obvious lies."

"These are obvious lies, because all documents were signed by the heads of NJSC Naftogaz Ukrainy and OJSC Gazprom," reads the statement.

Secondly, according to the party, Azarov is sure that Tymoshenko forged documents.

"You only have to look at the reports from the court hearings to check that all witnesses assured that the instructions of the Ukrainian premier were issued according to the rules of drafting such documents," the statement reminds.

For the third, according to the party, the premier dishonestly stated that the 2009 gas contract was not approved by the government and Naftogaz.

"For Azarov’s information, the government of Ukraine approved the signed gas contracts at a meeting on Jan. 21, 2009, and NJSC Naftogaz Ukrainy at a meeting on Jan.28, 2009. Moreover, at a meeting on January 12 Naftogaz entitled its head to sign the contracts," reads the statement.

"False insinuations in the foreign media by the current authorities will not disclose the truth about obvious lawlessness and political repression in Ukraine," the party stated.

Earlier, Azarov in an interview with Le Figaro described Europe’s criticism regarding the trial on Ukrainian ex-Premier Yulia Tymoshenko as unreasonable.