Kazakhstan Welcomes Parliamentary Election in Ukraine

ASTANA – Kazakhstan “welcomes the holding of elections to the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine on Oct. 26 this year,” the country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement on Oct. 28.

59_tn“The establishment of a new parliament is an important step towards a nationwide reconciliation and stability in society, which will make possible implementing necessary reforms in the interests of the people of Ukraine,” the ministry said.

According to the statement, Kazakhstan and Ukraine “have long-standing friendly and partnership relations based on historically developed mutual trust and understanding.”

“We respect the choice of the Ukrainian people and will support the efforts of Ukraine and the international community towards strengthening political stability and consolidating the society and ensuring the progressive development of the country,” the statement concluded.

Earlier in the week, the Foreign Ministry in Astana announced that Kazakhstan continues to provide practical assistance to help stabilise the political situation in Ukraine. In particular, as part of its cooperation in international organisations, Kazakhstan has allocated $40,000 to support the activities of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Special Monitoring Mission in Ukraine, which pays special attention to the implementation of agreements on the end of hostilities.

During his Oct. 7 meeting at the Akorda presidential residence with former Ukrainian President Leonid Kuchma, President Nursultan Nazarbayev announced that Kazakhstan was reviewing options for providing humanitarian assistance to Ukraine.

According to the Central Election Commission of Ukraine, after counting 83.18 percent of ballots cast in the Oct. 26 election, Prime Minister Arseniy Yatseniuk’s People’s Front Bloc gained 22 percent, while President Petr Poroshenko’s Bloc finished a close second with 21.63 percent. Four more parties won seats in Verkhovna Rada: Self Help with 10.98 percent, followed by the Opposition Bloc with 9.48 percent, the Radical Party with 7.46 percent and Batkivshchyna with 5.69 percent.


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