Venizelos on developments in Ukraine

Government Vice-President and Foreign Minister Evangelos Venizelos stressed the need to respect existing borders and territorial integrity, in his address during Monday's EU Foreign Affairs Council on the situation in Ukraine and the referendum in Crimea.

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"Our reaction today – a day after the referendum – is an easy one, almost automatic. European policy must always be a policy based on principles. Territorial integrity and respect for existing borders is the foundation of the status quo, the international legal order and of peace and stability in Europe and throughout the world," he stressed according to AMA-MPA

Describing the text of the council's draft conclusion as "balanced," Venizelos said the list of persons who are being put under the status of the sanctions, which was drawn up by COREPER, "constitutes an indication of Europe's resolve, but at the same time we are keeping the political and diplomatic channels of communication open with Russia, on the highest possible level."

"Our stance on the Ukrainian government is also clear. We continue to insist on the critical points: The inclusiveness not only of the political and social forces, but also of all the regions; security; the roadmap towards democratic normalization; respect for ethnic and ethno-linguistic minorities," he added.