THE HAGUE, April 7. /TASS/. Ukraine’s agreement of association with the European Union cannot be ratified for now, the Dutch Cabinet of Ministers said in the wake of the April 6 referendum on the issue.
"According to early returns from the consultative referendum the turnout was above the 30% level required for the voting to be recognized valid and most of the voters opposed the agreement," the statement runs.
"This is not a result the Cabinet had expected," the Dutch authorities said. "The final results will be declared on Tuesday, April 12, but it is clear already now that the agreement cannot be ratified at the moment."
The Dutch government will now consider the recommendations that stem from this referendum and hold consultations with parliament.
"The question will then be discussed with the European partners and Ukraine," the statement runs. "This process will take some time and effort to identify a solution acceptable for all parties."
Earlier, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte made a similar statement.
"If the results of the referendum remain unchanged, we will be unable to ratify the agreement of association with Ukraine," Rutte said on his Facebook page. "This is the political viewpoint of mine. The opponents have obviously won. The further process will continue step by step. First, the results (of the referendum) will be discussed by the Cabinet. Then there will follow consultations with parliament and our European partners. This will take some time - rather weeks than days."
The Dutch referendum on the ratification of Ukraine’s agreement of association with Ukraine was held on April 6. As follows from preliminary results 61.1% of the voters rejected the arrangement while 38.1% welcomed it. The turnout reached 32.2%.