Secretary General Jagland met Ukrainian President Poroshenko and Foreign Minister Klimkin in Kiev today. Talks focused on the situation in the country, in particular in eastern and southern parts, human rights and humanitarian aid and the Council of Europe's assistance towards reforms in the country. A particular area of concern is the military conflict and the worsening situation of the civilian population. Mid-August Mr. Jagland had written to European foreign ministers, urging member states to increase humanitarian aid in eastern Ukraine. The Council of Europe has been advising Ukraine on constitutional, electoral and judicial reforms. It also established an International Advisory Panel to oversee judicial investigations of violent clashes between protesters and security forces since the end of November 2013.
During his visit to Kiev, the Secretary General received a detailed account of the situation from the Ukrainian human rights ombudsperson, Valeria Lutkovska. The Secretary General is due to meet Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov in Moscow on Thursday.
Secretary General's press conference (video)
See also:
Ukraine and the Council of Europe