18:43 12.04.2019

Germany wants fair elections in Ukraine, will support Kyiv regardless of result

2 min read
Germany wants fair elections in Ukraine, will support Kyiv regardless of result

Germany hopes that the second round of the presidential election in Ukraine will be fair and transparent, German Chancellor Angela Merkel has said, adding Berlin will continue supporting Kyiv regardless of who becomes the next president.

"We want and wish a fair, transparent vote in the second round. This is what concerns the presidential elections," she said at a joint briefing with Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko in Berlin on Friday.

Merkel said Germany would help Ukraine develop, regardless of who becomes the next Ukrainian president.

"Regardless of the election result, I want to say that we will work for the positive development of Ukraine," she said.

Merkel said Germany has always supported Ukraine on the path of transformation financially, and also provided support in the process of decentralization.

She said introducing democratic changes, reacting anti-corruption institutions is a difficult process and Ukraine has done a lot, but "this is not the end of the road."

Merkel said recognition by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) of the first round of the presidential elections as fair and transparent was a big step on the path to implementing reforms, adding that the criticism regarding the election should be taken seriously.

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