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EU aide says High Representative did not speak about autonomy for East Ukraine

Mogherini communicated with the reporter in English and utterances were much longer, and that’s why mistakes might have crept into the translation

KIEV, November 25. /TASS/. EU’s High Representative for Foreign and Security Policy, Federica Mogherini, did not say EU expected Kiev to grant autonomy to the much-troubled war-torn eastern regions of the country, Maja Kocijancic, a spokesperson for Mogherini said on Monday.

Earlier reports quoted Mogherini as saying in an interview with the Austrian newspaper Kurier the EU expected Kiev would display respect for culture and language of the people living in eastern Ukraine, would give autonomy to that part of the country and would hold institutional reforms.

Kocijancic said in a comment on the situation that Mogherini had spoken to Kurier in English long before receiving the status of the High Representative.

Mogherini communicated with the reporter in English and utterances were much longer, and that’s why mistakes might have crept into the translation, Evropeiskaya Pravda news portal said.

Kocijancic also said the High Representative had spoken about the EU’ hopes that the Minsk accords on peace settlement in eastern Ukraine including decentralization of state power would be fulfilled.

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