Ukrainian Prime Minister Mykola Azarov has called on the parliament to return to constructive work.
"I'm again addressing the parliament and the political forces represented in it: we need to find ways to work constructively. The parliament should start working. And it should start working in the near future," he said at a meeting with reporters of Ukrainian TV channels in Kyiv on Tuesday.
Azarov said that the actions by the opposition on the blocking of parliament were dangerous for the country, as the world economic crisis is continuing. He also said that calls by the opposition to dissolve parliament and hold new elections were unrealistic.
As reported, opposition deputies blocked the rostrum and presidium of parliament for nearly three weeks - from February 5 to February 22, demanding the introduction of personal voting. After it was unblocked, the parliament held one plenary meeting on February 22 and announced a break until March 5.
On March 5 and 6, members of opposition factions again blocked the rostrum of the Verkhovna Rada in protest against a lawsuit in court to strip MP Serhiy Vlasenko, a defense lawyer for former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko, of his parliamentary powers. On March 7, they continued blocking the parliament in protest against the court's decision to deprive Vlasenko of his mandate.
Verkhovna Rada Chairman Volodymyr Rybak said that the parliament could start working on Tuesday, March 19. However, he did not rule out that Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych could use his right to dissolve parliament.
