Rasmussen hopes Ukraine lives up to democratic principles

15:43, 03.12.2013 1 min read

NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen has again called on Ukraine to observe democratic principles, notably while choosing allies.

"First of all, I strongly condemn the excessive use of police forces we have witnessed in Kyiv. I would expect all NATO partners, including Ukraine, to live up to fundamental democratic principles including freedom of assembly and freedom of expression," he told journalists in Brussels on Tuesday ahead of a meeting of NATO Ministers of Foreign Affairs, while commenting on the situation in Ukraine.

NATO "fully respects Ukraine's decision on their alliances and affiliations and to which organizations they want to belong, or with which organization the want to cooperate," Rasmussen said.

"But I would expect such decision-making process to be truly democratic," he said.