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Dutch FM says he does not rule out refusal to ratify association agreement with Ukraine

The Dutch parliament is expected to vote on cancelling the ratification of the agreement on Tuesday

© ITAR-TASS/Mikhail Pochuyev

LUXEMBOURG, April 18. /TASS/. Dutch Foreign Minister Bert Koenders told the EU Council that he does not rule out a refusal to ratify the association agreement with Ukraine considering the referendum results, a European source on the sidelines of the EU council meeting in Luxembourg told reporters on Monday.

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"He told the ministers that the government could not ratify it (the agreement) in the current state of affairs," he said.

The results of the April 6 referendum on the ratification of the EU-Ukraine association deal were announced on April 12. The deal was rejected by 2.5 million people or 61% of voters, 1.6 million people or 38.21% of voters voted for ratifying the agreement. The turnout was 32.2%, slightly over the 30% threshold needed for considering the vote to be valid.

The Dutch parliament is expected to vote on cancelling the ratification of the agreement on Tuesday. The relevant proposal was initiated by the Socialist Party of the Netherlands. According to the preliminary data, it is supported by the entire opposition in the country’s main legislative authority.

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Ukraine crisis Ukraine-EU Association Agreement

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