You're reading: European Parliament warns Ukraine against prosecution of Tymoshenko’s ally Nemyria

The European Union constantly watches the situation around the convicted former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko and former Interior Minister Yuriy Lutsenko, Head of the European Parliament's Foreign Affairs Committee Elmar Brok has said. 

“The case of Yulia Tymoshenko is discussed at a very high level in the EU, and until the cases (against Tymoshenko and Lutsenko) are resolved, they will remain on our agenda,” he said at a press conference in Kyiv on Thursday.

The MEP said that the solution of these issues is a prerequisite for the signing of the Association Agreement between Ukraine and the EU.

At the same time, Brok said that if Ukraine opens a criminal case against Tymoshenko’s ally, deputy chairman of the Batkivschyna party Hryhoriy Nemyria, then one can assume that Ukraine does not comply with its obligations.

“If they open a case against Hryhoriy Nemyria, I will assume that they have declined the offer (of signing of the Association Agreement between Ukraine and the EU at the Vilnius summit in November 2013),” he said.

Brok also noted that he raised these issues during his meeting with the Ukrainian prime minister and the Verkhovna Rada chairman, and he had the impression that the Ukrainian politicians understood him and would act accordingly.

The MEP also said that he had scheduled a meeting with Ukraine’s First Deputy Prosecutor General Renat Kuzmin, but it was canceled at the last minute.

“I think he is very busy preparing for a meeting with President [Barack] Obama,” Brok said.