You're reading: Nemyria: Opposition has not given up Tymoshenko in exchange for EU integration

Head of the Parliamentary Committee for European Integration Hryhoriy Nemyria has denied reports that during the preparation of a draft statement of the Verkhovna Rada concerning the signing of an Association Agreement with the European Union, the opposition gave up its demands for the release of former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko from prison. 

“I would like to refute the speculations that we see in the reports about the preparation of this statement, that the opposition has allegedly bartered away Yulia Tymoshenko in exchange for European integration,” he said at a briefing in Kyiv on Monday, Feb.4.

“This is absolutely not true, given the principled position of the faction and the personal position of Tymoshenko,” Nemyria stressed.

“We hope that this week after the Verkhovna Rada settles the issue of personal voting, it will be able to demonstrate that two to three weeks before the EU-Ukraine summit, which is to take place in Brussels on February 25, the constitutional majority will adopt a statement which will identify clear steps that must be made by Ukraine’s parliament, president, and government so that the agreement (the association agreement between the EU and Ukraine) could be signed at the Eastern Partnership summit in November this year,” Nemyria said.