Diplomat’s undiplomatic position

In an interview with RBC-Ukraine, Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) to Ukraine Ernst Reichel stated that elections might be held in the Donbas before the withdrawal of Russian troops, provoking an immediate reaction from Ukrainian legislators, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA), and a great public outcry. Let us recall that the German ambassador said: “To hold elections in the Donbas, it is not necessary to wait until there are no Russian troops there or until every city hall has a Ukrainian flag flying over it.”

Members of the Petro Poroshenko Bloc and People’s Front parliamentary factions blocked the rostrum during the Verkhovna Rada meeting on February 7 to express their outrage about the German ambassador’s statement. They demanded an explanation from him and called for a boycott of the reception to be held by the ambassador on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two nations. On behalf of the Committee on European Integration, Committee on Foreign Affairs, and the entirety of the Ukrainian parliament, Hanna Hopko invited the ambassador to come to Avdiivka and see the real situation. “We will see then where he will stand on the proposal to hold elections in the Donbas in the presence of Russian troops,” she stressed in her speech from the parliamentary rostrum.

Meanwhile, First Deputy Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada Iryna Herashchenko commented on Facebook on the statement of Ambassador Reichel as follows:

♦ “1. The position voiced by the ambassador is undiplomatic and offensive to Ukraine and Ukrainians; furthermore, it was made public just as Ukraine was mourning its best sons, the soldiers who protected our nation and enabled, among other things, the ambassador to safely reside in Kyiv and give interviews.

♦ “2. This position runs counter to the Minsk Agreements and their priority security provisions which call for an immediate ceasefire and the withdrawal of foreign troops.

♦ “3. Any elections in the Donbas have to comply with the standards of the ODIHR/OSCE, these rules are made not by the ambassador, but precisely by this organization, and they include clearly spelled-out security criteria. Because of it, NO election whatsoever can be held in independent Ukraine or any part of independent Ukraine in the presence of an occupying force. These elections can only be held under Ukrainian law and organized by the relevant Ukrainian authorities, not some occupation administration or the Kremlin’s puppets.

♦ “4. These statements run counter to the official views expressed by Germany and its Chancellor Angela Merkel, whom we thank for her consistent support for the sovereignty and independence of Ukraine.”

To the credit of the MFA, it immediately responded to the MPs’ call. “The Ambassador of the FRG was invited to the MFA to provide an explanation of his statements published in an interview with the RBC-Ukraine media outlet,” The Day was told by the ministry’s press service.

It should be noted that the German ambassador believes for some unknown reason that Ukrainians should not fear the presence of Russian troops in the Donbas and should hold elections there in spite of it, and he cited an election in the former GDR in support of his opinion. “The last legislative election in the GDR which had to end the communist regime took place in the presence of the Western Group of Soviet Forces and while the GDR regime still existed there. Nevertheless, the election did end it,” Ambassador Reichel stressed.

His desire to draw parallels between such dissimilar situations can only be seen as more than strange. German political analyst Andre Haertel commented on the German ambassador’s statement thus: “The communist regime in East Germany was completely discredited by then, and West German parties were able to freely conduct their campaigns. Meanwhile, in the present situation, there are well-justified reasons to believe that holding any elections in the Donbas will lead to recognition of separatists as legitimate authorities. I do not expect the OSCE or any other body to be able to ensure access to the region for Ukrainian parties and media.”