On the fringes of the OSCE Ministerial Council in Kiev, First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Vesna Pusić held separate talks with her Ukrainian counterpart Leonid Kozhara, Kazakh Foreign Minister Erlan Idrissov and Turkmen Foreign Minister Rashid Meredov.
The talks with Kozhara, whose country is chairing the OSCE in 2013, focused apart from bilateral relations on the Situation in Ukraine following the government’s decision to postpone the signing of the EU accession treaty and the protests that ensued in Kiev. Kozhara said the Ukrainian government was willing to talk with the protesters, adding that the chairman of Verkhovna Rada had called for talks publicly, while the state’s attorney had launched an investigation into the violence that occurred during the protests. Police should not use force against the protesters, while protesters themselves have to unblock institutional buildings, Kozhara said. He thanked the European Commission for their stance, adding that it was necessary to continue the talks on implementing the agreement.
Pusić said she had been in Maidan the previous evening (the square where the protesters gather) and talked to the opposition representatives. It was obvious that the protests were peaceful, but it is crucial to sit down as soon as possible and include all sides in the talks – the government, the opposition, the NGOs, the students – as well as not to use force and not to lock them up, Pusić said.
The talks with Kazakh and Turkmen foreign ministers revolved around economy. Idrissov underlined the importance of signing an agreement on avoiding double taxation and facilitate obtaining visas for Croatia, given that Croatia does not have a diplomatic representation or visa centre in Astana. Pusić said Croatia planned to open an honorary consulate that would issue visas, underlining Croatian companies’ interest in doing business in Kazakhstan. The two ministers also agreed it was important to discuss alleviating visa regime for Kazakhstan within the EU itself.
Pusić and Meredov highlighted the very good cooperation prompted by the political consultations held this year in Zagreb and Ashgabat. They described as positive the visit by Deputy Prime Minister Satlykov to Croatia as well as today’s visit to Uljanik. The is potential for cooperation in transport, maritime affairs, tourism and student exchange, the two ministers agreed.