Foreign Minister Erkki Tuomioja’s statement on the presidential election in Ukraine

Press Release 298/2004
27 December 2004


In the evaluation of the OSCE Election Observation Mission, the re-run ballot of the Ukrainian presidential election, held on 26 December, has brought the country substantially closer to European standards.

Finland is satisfied that the re-run ballot now held created better preconditions for implementing the wish of the people. As a result of the election, Ukraine has taken a significant step towards democracy. It’s important that election officials handle election-related complaints lodged by the parties appropriately and as rapidly as possible.

Democratic development of Ukraine is of significance to Finland and all of Europe. Peaceful clearing up of the country’s internal political situation strengthens the prerequisites for development of relations between the European Union and Ukraine within the framework of European neighbour policy while at the same time reinforcing further development of good Finnish-Ukrainian relations.

The Government of Finland has the readiness to cooperate with the Ukrainian president and his future Government in bilateral, EU, and multilateral connections.

Finland appreciates the OSCE’s active and sizeable input to monitoring of the Ukrainian election, in which Finnish observers also took part.

Additional information: Antti Turunen, Head of Unit, Unit for Eastern Europe and Central Asia, Finnish Ministry for Foreign Affairs, tel. + 35840 557 6365, or Counsellor Tuula Yrjölä, tel. +35840 740 9213.