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Euro 2012 to take place in any case – Ukrainian speaker

Several European Union countries have voiced their discontent in connection with the situation around Yulia Timoshenko

ST. PETERSBURG, May 17 (Itar-Tass) — Despite discussions on a possible boycott of the 2012 UEFA European Football Championship reflected in a resolution of the European Parliament on Ukraine, the country is determined to host the football championship at a high level.

“Euro 2012 will be held under any weather conditions, but in the common and in the political sense of this word,” Ukrainian Speaker Vladimir Litvin said at a session of the CIS Parliamentary Assembly on Thursday.

The Ukrainian politician stressed that there are economic and political problems of higher priority. “Any topic is being politicized nowadays. No country feels comfortable in conditions of shrinking economy. The proven method is to discuss other problems. All the more as we are speaking about football,” the speaker said.

“There are not so many possibilities to divert one’s attention away from everyday and pressing problems in our hard times. Football is one of these possibilities,” Litvin emphasized.

He confirmed that practically all infrastructure in Ukraine is ready for hosting the championship.

Several European Union countries have voiced their discontent in connection with the situation around former Ukrainian prime minister Yulia Timoshenko, but at a session of the EU Council in Brussels none of the countries supported officially a boycott of Euro 2012.

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