20/02/14 Athens

In light of the extremely shocking images from Kiev where protestors were killed in Maidan square, GUE/NGL President Gabi Zimmer has said that only a negotiated peaceful solution can end the violence in Ukraine. She spoke from Athens where GUE/NGL MEPs are holding a conference on the political situation in Greece and Europe.

The GUE/NGL MEP meeting in Athens condemns this violence and calls on the Ukrainian government to put an end to it.

Gabi Zimmer said: “What is happening in Kiev concerns us all. We think that only a negotiated peaceful solution between all parties can bring about peace. We also condemn the extreme right-wing groups and parties within the protest movement that seek to escalate the violence.”

The MEPs appeal to all their governments and to the EU institutions to use all their diplomatic weight to work for a peaceful solution in Ukraine. We must listen to the Ukrainian people who are defying the tanks and armed police forces. It’s the Ukrainian people themselves who have the right to decide about their own future.

Spanish MEP Willy Meyer, GUE/NGL Coordinator on the European Parliament’s Foreign Affairs committee, said: “No external interference can be tolerated to solve the Ukrainian crisis.”

GUE/NGL Press Contact in Athens:
Emily Macintosh +32 470 85 05 08
emily.macintosh@europarl.europa.eu
European United Left / Nordic Green Left
European Parliamentary Group
www.guengl.eu