“Its borders have been violated, its territorial integrity ignored, its economy is sliding downward, its state of government is in disarray,” Berzins noted, stressing that approaching winter could further dramatically disrupt the social fabric in Ukraine.
The Latvian head-of-state called on all sides in eastern Ukraine to ensure a long-standing cease-fire and urged the international community to pay close attention to supporting such a peace. He thanked Japan for its solidarity with the European Union and the G7 nations on this issue.
Secondly, Berzins said that the humanitarian crisis there must also be resolved in the short-term and called on the attending state leaders to mobilize their efforts in this regard.
Thirdly, the president urged all present to help Ukraine continue its mid- to long-term reform process, to “stabilize its financial situation, get its economy back on track to health, fight corruption, establish rule-of-law and build a free and democratic civic society.”
He pledged Latvia’s commitment to share its 25-year reform experiences and promote Ukraine’s reform strategy as it takes over the Presidency of the Council of the EU from January to July 2015.
Berzins closed with grateful acknowledgement of Japan’s valuable contributions to restructuring in Ukraine’s economy and urged “more synergy among our similarly-thinking nations, in order to resolve the crisis” there.
