Most PACE observers positively assessed 'technical side' of parliamentary elections in Ukraine, says Cavusoglu

Former President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) Mevlut Cavusoglu has stated that election observers from PACE have not cast doubts on the legitimacy of the recent parliamentary elections in Ukraine.

"I have read a number of commentaries on last Sunday's parliamentary elections in Ukraine and I would like to say that some of them have not much in common with the situation seen by many observers while travelling across the country. There is a difference between the rhetoric and the reality we observed," he said in an interview with Interfax-Ukraine.

Cavusoglu added that he has a lot of experience in election observation, as he worked in missions of the Council of Union and the OSCE. According to Cavusoglu, during the parliamentary elections he visited 15 polling stations in Kharkiv on polling day, and he and his colleague praised the professional organization of the polling process, the calm atmosphere at the polling stations, the transparent ballot casting, and described work of the polling stations as "very good."

"I think that the joint statement of the PACE/OSCE missions on the elections do not reflect the conclusions of PACE representatives, which were announced on Monday morning at an internal meeting after observation at the elections. Most of my colleagues and I described the technical side of the elections as very good," the ex-president of PACE said.

He stressed that delegates of PACE mission have no doubts about fairness of results and legitimacy of the elections.

Cavusoglu also criticized the statement of observers that the parliamentary elections in Ukraine were "a step backwards on the ways of democratic development."

"In my opinion, election observers should monitor and assess elections, and not try to express their political beliefs," he said.

Cavusoglu added that attitude of observers to jailed former Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko should not influence recognition of legitimacy of the elections.

"The EU should intensify relations with Ukraine and should not try to isolate or punish the country, which is a young democracy and wants to be a member of the EU," he said.