It was with "unfeigned astonishment" that the Foreign Affairs Ministry of Ukraine heard Tuesday's allegations on Euroatlantic strivings of Ukraine, made by Gernot Erler, Minister of State at the Federal Foreign Office of Germany, during a Moscow - Berlin video conference, the MFA press service comment reads.
It is particularly surprising that the statement was not made during meetings with Ukrainian partners who would soundly disprove a lot of theses, the foreign affairs ministry says.
In Ukrainian diplomats' opinion, Erler's only objective declaration was that Ukraine, as well as any other democratic state, has different points of view, particularly, as regards NATO. All the rest was a "tactless manipulation of figures and facts" based on rhetoric that is unacceptable in assessment by ranking officials of a sovereign foreign state's positions.
"We also cannot but be disturbed by the logics of Mr. Erler that Germany and other member-countries of the European Union actually regret the forethoughtful decisions the Alliance approved in Bucharest on Ukraine and Georgia. To our mind, this position is hardly shared by FRG Chancellor Angela Merkel who personally joined the wording of prospects for Ukraine's entry in NATO," the foreign ministry emphasized drawing the conclusion that the minister's rhetoric must have been owing to the coming elections in Germany.
The MFA called as "imaginary phobias" that should not be taken very much to heart the words on Ukraine's split into two implacable political camps on the issue of Euroatlantic policy. "In their Euroatlantic policy, the President and the Government of Ukraine are acting in compliance with the Constitution of Ukraine and the laws in effect approved by the Ukrainian Parliament and directly implying Ukraine's accession to NATO as a priority of the state foreign policy. Yet, a final decision will naturally be taken with regard for the Ukrainian people's opinion," the foreign ministry says.
As reported, during the Moscow - Berlin TV linkup on October 21, Erler stated that Ukraine's joining NATO depends on the stance of the majority of population, while intensification of the accession threatens with splitting the country. "We are not out to destabilize a neighbor state with the moves that could lead to its split," Erler said also making some other impudent interpretations of the situation in Ukraine, which do not correspond to reality.
