German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle has said that the situation with former Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko could have direct negative consequences for Ukraine's EU integration aspirations, Deutsche Welle reported on May 2.
"The Ukrainian government must know: The route to Europe leads over a bridge with two posts: democracy and the rule of law," Westerwelle told the German newspaper Bild.
The minister said that as a member of the Council of Europe, Ukraine is obliged to observe minimal standards of human rights. He also expressed serious concern about the health of Tymoshenko and again proposed that Ukraine provide medical assistance to the ex-premier in a German hospital, where she would be given adequate medical care.
He also said that Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych could expect protests from football fans attending the Euro 2012 European football championship in Ukraine, if Tymoshenko still had not received adequate medical care by the time the tournament begins in June.
"Politicians, athletes, the media and fans will not miss the opportunity during the European Championship to make a statement against the abuse of human rights in Ukraine," Westerwelle said.
As reported, on March 4 the New York Times published an article by the foreign ministers of Sweden, Britain, the Czech Republic, Poland and Germany.
According to the article, the process of the Ukraine-EU association is at an impasse today, and the Ukrainian leadership holds the key to this deadlock. The authors of the article mentioned "the criminal prosecutions" of Ukrainian opposition figures, selective justice and pressure on the media by the authorities.
