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European Council President Rompuy to visit Kiev May 12

BRUSSELS, May 08. /ITAR-TASS/. Herman Van Rompuy, the president of the Council of Europe, will pay a visit to Kiev on May 12, the Council’s press service said on Thursday, May 8.

The talks in Kiev will focus on the preparation of the presidential elections on May 25 and ways to stabilise the situation in Ukraine.

The trip will take place ahead of a joint meeting of the European Commission and members of the parliament-appointment government of Ukraine on May 13.

While Rompuy is in Kiev, the EU foreign ministers will be meeting on May 12 to discuss ways to resolve the crisis in Ukraine.

On May 7, Rompuy met with Didier Burkhalter, the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Swiss Foreign Minister and President of the Swiss Confederation, after his visit to Moscow.

He took note of President Putin’s recent statements “signalling a willingness to de-escalate the situation, including his call to refrain from holding a referendum in the Eastern part of Ukraine and the stated withdrawal of Russian troops from the borders of Ukraine”.

“A genuine national dialogue and the cessation of acts of violence and provocations are essential elements in advancing towards a political solution,” Rompuy said.

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