Government not interfering with Ukrainian media, says PM

Ukrainian Prime Minister Mykola Azarov has assured representatives of the Monitoring Committee of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) that the government does not interfere in the activities of the Ukrainian media.

"All our channels are giving airtime to all the opposition representatives. Should you have arrived on April 27 and looked at our media, while they were discussing the Kharkiv agreements with Russia on the Black Sea Fleet, you would have never had an idea of 'censorship' as regards the Ukrainian mass media," Azarov said at a meeting with the delegation on Wednesday, the press service of the Cabinet of Ministers reported.

In addition, the prime minister assured the PACE delegation that Ukraine's policy of rapprochement with the European Union hasn't changed.

"My position is very simple: if we take the path of European integration, we need to catch up economically, and as regards the institutions we should take norms that are being applied in the EU, and apply them in Ukraine."

In turn, PACE co-rapporteur Renate Wohlwend said that she hoped to see deepening cooperation with the Ukrainian government.

"I and my fellow co-rapporteur very much hope that the new government led by you, will start moving in that direction," she said.