(10 Mar 2014) As the crisis in the Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea continued on Monday, Austrian Foreign Minister Sebastian Kurtz and Secretary General of the Council of Europe Thorbjorn Jagland met Ukraine government officials in Kiev.
Amongst the issues being discussed were the forthcoming referendum on whether the Crimean peninsula should split from Ukraine and seek to become part of Russia.
Also discussed was the Russian Parliament's recent decision to allow Crimea to join Russia, according to Jagland.
The Council of Europe delegation met Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk and acting president Oleksandr Turchynov, and later Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andriy Deshchytsya.
Addressing a news conference following talks, Yatsenyuk said the crisis taking place in Crimea could be peacefully resolved, even whilst giving a forthright interpretation of recent events.
"There is a chance to resolve this 21st century conflict peacefully. This is not a bilateral conflict, it is a Russian attempt to put global security under threat, redraw the European map, and review their World War II losses. This is the direction Russia is moving towards," he said.
Jagland, who is due to examine the forthcoming referendum and the Russian Parliament's recent decision to allow Crimea to join Russia, said the Council of Europe "will continue to give full support to Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity and continue to work for the necessary reforms here in Ukraine as we did in the past".
Turchynov said he hoped that the Council of Europe "will also be able to certify the processes taking place in Crimea and all over Ukraine that represent a danger for the whole Europe."
Ukraine Foreign Minister Andriy Deshchytsya later thanked the Council of Europe delegation for visiting the country, telling them "we appreciate your support".
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