Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop has expressed concern about recent political developments in Ukraine.
“Over past weeks, the people of Ukraine have gathered in protest
against their government’s decision to suspend preparations for the
signing of an Association Agreement with the European Union,” reads a
statement posted on the Web site of the Australian Department of Foreign
Affairs and Trade on Thursday.
Bishop joined many in the international community to deplore the
Ukrainian government’s use of violence against peaceful protestors in
Kyiv, which she said was disproportionate and excessive.
She also urged the Ukrainian authorities to exercise utmost restraint
with regard to the protests, to ensure Ukraine’s international
commitments to the freedoms of assembly and expression are fully upheld,
and “to listen to the voices and aspirations of the Ukrainian people.”
