Upon arriving in Athens from Tirana, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Evangelos Venizelos made the following statement on the agreement reached in Kiev today on the settlement of the Ukraine crisis:

 

“The agreement reached in Ukraine can provide a peaceful way out of the crisis, avert the repetition of tragic events, and lead to consensus solutions with the participation of all the country’s forces.

 

The European Union and the whole of the international community support agreed solutions that allow the Ukrainian people to control their future with national unity, security, democracy, rule of law, independence, dignity and prosperity.

 

The situation in Ukraine through the experiences of this crisis can function not as a threat to the geopolitical equilibrium on the European continent, but as a springboard toward a new framework for international cooperation that is compatible with the fundamental principles accepted by the European Union.

 

The unequivocal condemnation of violence within the framework of international legality is the only firm foundation for the permanent resolution of the crisis.

 

As the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, Greece is in close cooperation with High Representative Catherine Ashton, and with respect for the Union’s institutional framework, it has shaped the conditions for providing real assistance in the international effort toward implementation of the agreement.”