AKEL votes against the EU-Ukraine Association Agreement

 

AKEL C.C. Press Office, 16th September 2014, Nicosia

 

AKEL MEP’s Neoklis Sylikiotis and Takis
Hajigeorgiou and the Political Group of GUE/NGL, today voted against the EU-Ukraine Association Agreement, which was tabled for approval through the emergency procedure in the European Parliament plenary.

The reasons why the AKEL MEP’s voted against are primarily political, given that the Agreement is based on the logic of the development of relations on the basis of the geopolitical competition with Russia, and constitutes a negative development in the process of decreasing the crisis in the region. In addition, the regime of Ukraine has proceeded to the signing of the Agreement without any dialogue with society whatsoever amid a deep division in the country on this issue, even accelerating the procedure, aiming at the Agreement being ratified by the outgoing Ukrainian Parliament, while elections are imminent in the next month. The entire scheming clearly demonstrates that the Agreement is part of the wider plan of the European Union and NATO for the country’s incorporation in the broader geostrategic environment of the West. As far as the content of the specific Agreement is concerned, it includes key provisions for the liberalisation of the markets.

AKEL’s position remains that amid efforts to implement the agreed ceasefire, any economic agreement or additional sanctions render the perspective for a political and peaceful solution to the problem distant.