The European Union is ready to help Ukraine on its path towards the European integration, but the authorities should demonstrate their intention to make positive changes and hold reforms, Ambassador of the Netherlands to Ukraine Pieter Jan Wolthers has said.
"If President [of Ukraine Viktor] Yanukovych wants to be reelected for the second term in 2015, he should demonstrate that the most important thing for him is the interests of his people, that he puts them above all in his work. The European Union, of course, is willing to help Ukrainians to achieve a better life in a more democratic society. But for this we need a clear signal that your country is determined to hold positive changes, real reforms and make real progress," the diplomat said in an interview with the Dzerkalo Tyzhnia. Ukraine newspaper published on Saturday.
According to him, it would be wrong to assume that the EU supports former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko and does not like President Viktor Yanukovych and Prime Minister Mykola Azarov's government. "We are on the side of justice. And we do not like what we see – certain trials against politicians are politically motivated. I would like to see Ukraine looking forward, not looking constantly back to settle all accounts of the past. Your country has a lot of work to do, and time is short," Wolthers stressed.
"With regard to sanctions, in my opinion, it is not a good time for them. This is not something that is necessary today. What we need is the cooperation between the two parties to achieve a goal that at least in words we have in common - the European integration of Ukraine," the ambassador said.
He also assured that the EU does not impose the European integration on Ukraine. "We're just trying to show the benefits of a certain direction to Ukraine. We want the country to make its choice independently, to decide on the European integration for its own sake," the diplomat said.
