On June 23 the negotiations on liberation of the crew of Dutch ship ‘Marathon’ seized by Somali pirates were successfully completed.
I would like to congratulate members of the Ukrainian crew and their relatives on liberation of the seamen.
Unfortunately, this pleasant event is saddened by the fact that during the attack on the ship by pirates on May 7 Serhiy Vartenkov was killed and Georgiy Husakov was wounded.
I would like to express my wishes of soonest as possible recovery to Georgiy Gusakov my deep sympathy and support to the family of tragically killed Serhiy Vartenkov.
I have instructed Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the competent authorities of Ukraine to take all necessary measures to assist in release of the crew and sending the seamen back home as soon as possible.
I have also instructed the Cabinet to provide financial assistance to the family of S. Vartenkov and the injured members of the crew.
Coordination of Ukraine’s actions with foreign partners in fighting piracy is under my personal control. Particularly, the first talks with the Prime Minister of the Netherlands Jan Peter Balkenende were held on the very day of seizure of the ship - on May 7 during our meeting in Prague.
This issue will remain a priority in my talks with leaders of foreign countries. I also plan to raise it during my address at the session of the UN General Assembly in September this year.
I express sincere gratitude to the leadership of the Netherlands and to all who participated in the liberation of hostages from captivity.
