On 15 January, Foreign Minister Sven Mikser and his Lithuanian, Latvian and Polish counterparts are on a joint visit to Ukraine that takes them to the port city of Mariupol with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin.
The foreign ministers will be briefed on the ground on the access of ships to Ukrainian ports on the Sea of Azov. They will also meet with the governor of the Donetsk region and the mayor of Mariupol, as well as representatives of the OSCE Monitoring Mission and international aid organisations.
“The security and economic situation in Ukraine is deteriorating and we wish to continue offering support to our friend. In addition to Russia’s military activities in Eastern Ukraine and the illegal annexation of Crimea that have continued for years, in November, an attack took place near the Kerch Strait, and ship traffic on the Sea of Azov was blocked,” Foreign Minister Mikser said.
“It is important that the EU continues to focus on the Ukrainian issue and that the member states remain united in this matter,” Mikser stressed. “The deliberate escalation of tensions, the blatant violation of international law, and the aggression against Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity by Russia must end.”
According to the minister, the aim of the visit is to show joint support for Ukraine and get a better overview of the security and economic situation as well as aid needs in the eastern parts of Ukraine, especially the region around the Sea of Azov. “Ukraine is a priority in Estonian development cooperation and we wish to direct our aid more efficiently,” the minister said.
Additional information:
Sandra Kamilova
Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Estonia
Communication Department
+372 5667 5362
[email protected]
