KYIV. May 22 (Interfax) - The participants of the Eastern Partnership summit in Riga have confirmed the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the members of the Eastern Partnership initiative.
"In this declaration, we have confirmed that the EU adheres to the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Eastern Partnership countries," Latvian Prime Minister Laimdota Straujuma said at the summit on Friday.
The Eastern Partnership initiative involves six countries (Ukraine, Moldova, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Armenia and Belarus).
"The EU reaffirms its positions as taken in the Joint Statement made at the EU-Ukraine Summit on 27 April, including on the illegal annexation of Crimea and Sevastopol. The Summit participants reaffirm their positions in relation to 'UN General Assembly Resolution 68/262 on the territorial integrity of Ukraine,'" reads the statement.
"The acts against Ukraine and the events in Georgia since 2014 have shown that the fundamental principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity within internationally recognized borders cannot be taken for granted in the 21st century on the European continent. The EU remains committed in its support of the territorial integrity, independence and sovereignty of all its partners," reads the declaration.
The participants of the summit said they strongly support all efforts aimed at de-escalation and a political solution based on respect for Ukraine's independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity. "They call on all parties to swiftly and fully implement the Minsk Agreements of September 2014 and the package of measures for their implementation of February 2015," reads the statement.
Summit participants expect all parties to honor their commitments in this framework. They call for the urgent release of all hostages and unlawfully detained persons. They express their full support for the OSCE and its efforts through the Special Monitoring Mission and the Trilateral Contact Group. "The Summit participants call upon all parties to fully cooperate with the international investigations and criminal proceedings to hold to account those who are responsible for the downing of MH17," reads the statement.