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Maria S. Topalova

The Ministers of Defence of the European Union Member States define the developments in Ukraine as a major geopolitical disruption. Ukraine was not included in the agenda of their informal meeting in Athens but the recent events in Kiev are so pronounced that no one remains impartial. "What is happening in Ukraine is not as simple as it seemed at the beginning," admitted Greece’s Minister of Defence Dimitris Avramopoulos, who expressed the readiness of the European Union to be an active participant in resolving the conflict.
    Yesterday Foreign Ministers of Germany Frank-Walter Steinmeier and Poland Radoslaw Sikorski started negotiations in Kiev with President of Ukraine Viktor Yanukovych. Sikorsky was regularly informing his followers on Twitter about the progress of the talks so we know firsthand that the talks ended today, at 7:20 am. Later, the Polish Foreign Minister wrote on his profile, "This is a delicate moment over the agreement on the settlement of the crisis in Ukraine. All sides need to remember that compromise means getting less than 100%."
    Dimitris Avramopoulos stated that the Ministers of Defence are in continuous contact with the two top diplomats in Kiev, adding, "I hope that their mission will be completed with good news."  At the same time, he noted that violence in Ukraine is intensifying and the situation is getting out of control. He stressed that, as for the European Union, the membership of Ukraine is still on the negotiating table, adding that the better future of the country can only be built on the basis of European values.
    The forum involved NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen, who had met with Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras this morning. "The Ukrainian government is fully responsible and should not allow the intervention of the army against the protesters," he told reporters, stressing that it is currently impossible to talk about a NATO operation in Kiev.

    The Ministers of Defence of the European Union also discussed maritime piracy, agreeing that the battle against this criminal phenomenon is successful but although the results in terms of numbers are very good, the phenomenon is not liquidated. Maritime security is one of the priorities of the Greek Presidency and the representatives of Italy and Portugal made concrete proposals. "By June we will come out with a concrete strategy to combat piracy. The Member States rely on our ability to develop it. Moreover, the European Union chairs the international campaign against piracy this year," said Maciej Popowksi, Deputy Secretary General of the European Agency for External Action.
    The Ministers of Defence discussed the European Union's decision to send a military mission to the Central African Republic, taken on 10 February, considering that they are ready to send a mission there soon. The European Union has sent four military missions to various hotspots of the world, including three in different African countries and one in Bosnia and Herzegovina.