TheCommittee of Ministers of the Council of Europe, representing its 47 member States, calls for dialogue among all political forces in Ukraine, urging them to resolve the ongoing crisis with mutual consideration and through democratic and peaceful means. It calls on the government as well as the opposition forces and the country's civil society to agree on a mutually acceptable resolution of the crisis.
The Committee welcomes the beginning of a dialogue in the form of National Round Tables with the participation of all political forces in Ukraine and the release of a number of people arrested during the clashes in Kyiv on 30 November and 1 December 2013.
The Committee expresses its full support for the recent initiative taken by the Secretary General, and accepted by both the authorities and the opposition in Ukraine, to promote confidence through an independent investigation into these incidents.
The Committee of Ministers recalls that the fundamental rights and freedoms enshrined in the European Convention on Human Rights, to which Ukraine is a Party, must be guaranteed. This applies in particular to the freedom of assembly and the freedom of expression and information. The Committee calls on all parties in Ukraine to ensure full respect for these rights.