The newly elected president of the European Parliament, Martin Schulz, says that stopping the persecution of former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko can open the way for the legitimization of the association agreement between Ukraine and the EU, according to the Official web site of Yulia Tymoshenko.
"I openly admit that I am not an in easy situation. I would personally like this problem to be resolved in the interests of the country’s internal stability and international cooperation, and for Ukraine to stop the legal proceedings against Tymoshenko. This can be done through presidential pardon. If I’m not mistaken, President Viktor Yanukovych already considered this option. This would probably help all sides," Martin Schulz said in an interview with Deutsche Welle radio.
In his opinion, the ex-premier doesn’t deserve such treatment from the authorities. "I remind you that Tymoshenko deserves completely different treatment that she has received. I also remind you that the Ukrainian government should make sure this process against Tymoshenko doesn’t look politically motivated. I don’t rule out that this trial is political motivated although I can’t prove it. In any case, it’s hard for me to imagine that a former prime minister who is credited with a series of achievements for the good of the country would be treated in such a way as being locked away in prison," he added.
Martin Schulz believes the EU is right in postponing further actions regarding the association agreement. "I think the EU did the right thing by putting certain pressure on Ukraine. However, EU-Ukraine relations can’t be generalized solely by the Tymoshenko case. So we have ended up in a difficult situation. Of course it would be easier if the Tymoshenko issue was resolved. I think Ukraine would do itself a big favor if they removed this problem," he said.
