"Ukrainian sovereignty over the occupied territories of Donetsk and Luhansk regions must be restored," Poroshenko told journalists on January 14.
He added that securing Crimea's return from Russian control was the priority, saying "de-occupation" of the peninsula that was annexed by Russia in March 2014 must be implemented via international mechanisms and with EU and U.S. help.
"We -- the society, the army, the government -- have largely strengthened our country's defense," the Ukrainian leader also said. "This is reflected by the fact that our enemy is losing its willingness to continue its offensive against Ukraine."
"In January 2015 we had a goal to survive, and in January 2016 we have a goal to succeed," he added. "I hope everyone understands the difference."
Fighting between government forces and Russia-backed separatists has killed more than 9,100 people in eastern Ukraine since April 2014.
Poroshenko said that all points of the cease-fire accords pertaining to the eastern regions of Luhansk and Donetsk that were signed in the Belarusian capital, Minsk, must be implemented by all sides.
"We will not allow any revision of the Minsk agreements," Poroshenko said.
He also stressed that Ukraine has managed to free itself of the "curse" of its dependence on Russian natural gas.
"The process of our integration into the European energy market started last year and will continue this year," Poroshenko pledged.
According to Poroshenko, in 2015, Ukraine managed to implement a wide range of reforms whose success, he says, is evidenced by the European Commission's decision to introduce a visa-free regime for Ukrainians travelling to EU states.
Poroshenko vowed that reforms will continue and that new, corruption-free, law-enforcement structures and judicial institutions would be established.
[With reporting by UNIAN, AFP and AP]
rferl.org
14/1/16
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Porochenko compte sur Bruxelles et Washington pour rapatrier la Crimée...
ReplyDeleteLes autorités ukrainiennes comptent sur l'aide de leurs alliés occidentaux pour reprendre le contrôle de la Crimée. Pour Piotr Porochenko, la restitution du Donbass et de la Crimée est une priorité pour l'année qui vient de commencer.
Une déclaration en ce sens a été faite au cours d'une grande conférence de presse du président d'Ukraine consacrée aux événements de 2015 et retransmise en direct par la télévision ukrainienne.
"La lutte pour la restitution de la Crimée demeure une priorité de l'ordre du jour. Nous allons proposer de créer un mécanisme international de dé-occupation de la péninsule. A mon avis, le format optimal pour lancer ce mécanisme est celui de "Genève plus" avec la participation de nos partenaires de l'UE et des Etats-Unis", a déclaré M.Porochenko.
"Pour affronter un défi de taille comme celui de la restitution du Donbass et de la Crimée, je me propose de recourir au premier chef à des mécanismes politiques, diplomatiques et de droit international. Je tiens à souligner notre ferme attachement à l'exécution par tous les participants de tous les articles des accords de Minsk. Nous n'admettrons aucune révision des accords de Minsk", a assuré le dirigeant ukrainien.....http://sptnkne.ws/azTN
15/1/16