Kyiv, 19 June 2014 – “Resolving of the situation in Eastern Ukraine is the top priority for Ukraine’s President,” stated Iryna Gerashchenko, MP, Authorized by the President for peaceful settlement of conflict in Donetsk and Luhansk regions at a briefing in Ukraine Crisis Media Center. “Today it’s the most important issue on his agenda, it includes negotiations with our European partners to foster implementation of the European community commitments towards Ukraine as to the guarantees for our security and territorial integrity. It also includes meeting Eastern Ukraine representatives, first and foremost the legitimate mayors and local business community,” she added.
Commenting on her appointment to the post, Mrs. Gerashchenko explained that according to the President’s decree her major responsibility is communicating the Plan of the President of Ukraine on resolving the situation in Donetsk and Luhansk regions staying in close contact with media, international organizations, diplomatic missions and Ukrainian communities.
Iryna Gerashchenko underlined: “Petro Poroshenko has suggested peaceful plan on the situation settlement in the East of Ukraine because life of each Ukrainian is of crucial importance to him. Ukraine’s President is ready to announce short-term cease fire in ATO zone in a unilateral way in order to set the corridor and move out peaceful locals from Donetsk and Luhansk regions to Central and Western regions of Ukraine as well as to establish the corridor to have all illegal armed groups withdrawn from Ukrainian territory”. In addition to that President’s Poroshenko plan foresees establishing control over the state border between Ukraine and the Russian Federation, unconditional disarmament of separatists and amnesty for those not involved in committing grave crimes such as murder, torture, abduction of people.
According to Mrs.Gerashchenko President will submit his suggestion as to the changes to Ukraine’s Constitution that foresee decentralization of power, increased powers for the regions, elections of new local authorities. It is also necessary to hold early local and parliamentary elections in autumn this year.
“President is ready for fruitful cooperation with the government and Ukraine’s Parliament. Today Verkhovna Rada has voted for new appointments for of Ukraine’s Prosecutor General, Foreign Affairs Minister and Head of the National Bank, renewed team of the National Security and Defense Council is actively working, in the nearest time the Center for internally displaced persons will be established under the Department of Emergency within the Ministry of Interior of Ukraine. These are all testimonies that Ukrainian state authorities are ready to unite for resolving the issues of national importance,” noted Mrs. Gerashchenko.
