Poland urges Ukraine summit attendance
DPA/AFP/Bratislava
Polish President Bronislav Komorowski has called for European leaders not to boycott a summit in Ukraine, arguing that it would be the perfect opportunity for them to share concerns about jailed opposition leader Yulia Tymoshenko.
Tensions between Ukraine and its European neighbours have steadily mounted ever since Tymoshenko – considered by many to be a victim of political persecution – alleged that she was injured by prison orderlies.
Central and eastern European heads of state are due to meet on May 11-12 in the Ukrainian resort city of Yalta. But German President Joachim Gauck has led the way in cancelling his attendance in protest over Tymoshenko’s situation.
Eight other presidents had decided not to attend by Friday, according to the Kharkiv Human Rights Protection Group, a Ukrainian human rights organisation. They include the leaders of Austria, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Italy, Latvia and Slovenia.
And yesterday Hungary’s foreign ministry said president-elect Janos Ader will skip the Yalta summit.
The opening day of the Yalta summit on May 11 “will be president Ader’s first full day in office”, ministry spokesman Gabor Koletta told AFP.
In a separate statement, the ministry had explained that Ader would not attend owing to “official duties which cannot be postponed”.
It also noted however that international criticism of “unfavourable tendencies” in Ukraine were mostly “justified”.
Kyiv has made no serious efforts to respect the human rights of detainees, including Tymoshenko and other opposition politicians, the ministry said.
On Friday, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s office said he had not yet decided whether to attend.
Poland’s Komorowski warned against antagonising Kyiv and thereby potentially pushing it into Russia’s arms.
“In my view, Yalta presents just the chance to strengthen the pro-western tendencies in Ukraine and to thus avoid them turning to the east,” he told the Polish news agency PAP during a visit to Slovakia, where he took part in a meeting of the Visegrad states.
Slovakia has also publicly rejected boycott calls, arguing that “open dialogue” was the right approach, as has Moldova.
Outrage over Tymoshenko’s treatment has additionally led to calls for politicians to avoid the Euro 2012 football matches that will be held in Ukraine next month.
Poland, which will co-host the championship, has also rejected those calls, with Prime Minister Donald Tusk calling them “inappropriate”.