Statement of Minister Vigenin regarding the presidential elections in Ukraine
28 May 2014 News
Bulgaria has expressed clear support for holding peaceful, free and fair presidential elections in Ukraine, where all citizens have the opportunity to choose freely the future of their country. Although the vote was hampered in some areas of the country, the announced by the Central Election Commission results for the individual candidates and the high turnout, as well as the published preliminary findings of the OSCE election monitoring mission, provide reason to welcome the elections.
The newly elected head of state Petro Poroshenko received the necessary legitimacy to represent Ukraine. The broad support for him is a sign that the Ukrainian people expect responsible leadership to end the violence, stabilize the country politically, economically and financially, to work for a united Ukraine through an open and inclusive dialogue on constitutional reform with the participation of all regions, and to guarantee the rights of minorities in accordance with the standards of the Council of Europe.
We hope that the new political situation will stimulate the dialogue between Ukraine and the Russian Federation both in a multilateral format and on a bilateral basis.
We welcome the crucial role of OSCE for the preparation and the conduct of the elections and we express gratitude to all Bulgarian representatives who participated as observers.