KIEV
Dismissing rumors that EU association talks have been suspended, Ukrainian Prime Minister Mykola Azarov has said that the visa regime negotiations are going on, and he is hopeful that the negotiations will be concluded in the near future, and a visa-free regime will be achieved.
Azarov said that Ukraine met the majority of requirements for visa-free travel to EU countries in accordance with the signed agreements.
Criticizing the opposition and demonstrators, Azarov said: "However, the blocking of the office of the President, government and Parliament makes it difficult to solve the current problems. I am calling on responsible politicians to heed my words. Members of the Parliament should take responsibility for Ukraine's fate and heed these words of mine."
The protests that ensued following President Viktor Yanukovych's announcement on November 21 that the government was suspending association talks with the EU, are still in full force. Yanukovych opposes signing the deal in question on the grounds that it would spoil relations with Russia.
Meanwhile, the ruling Party of Regions has claimed that their deputies are being "threatened, blackmailed, and harassed via anonymous phone calls and messages."
A statement issued by the Party says that the party members visited hospitals and talked to people wounded in protests. "While wounded officers of the Interior Ministry declare that they are being threatened along with their families, our deputies are being blackmailed and threatened via anonymous phone calls and messages," the statement read.
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