BERLIN, November 25( RAPSI) – The daughter of convicted former Ukrainian prime minister Yulia Tymoshenko has asked German Chancellor Angela Merkel to continue seeking her mother's release for medical treatment abroad, Yevgenia Tymoshenko said in an interview with Bild, Germany's largest-circulation newspaper.
On November 21, the Ukrainian Parliament rejected all six bills that were designed to allow Yulia Tymoshenko to receive medical treatment abroad. The ruling Party of Regions earlier did not support any of the six draft laws. Members of the party claimed they would only vote for a bill developed by an established working group.
“I think that Germany is the last chance for my mother. Chancellor Merkel must not give up. If my mother is not released soon, she will die. She is consciously denied medical treatment. She must go abroad.” Yevgenia Tymoshenko said.
According to her, an association agreement with the EU may be concluded. Tymoshenko's daughter stressed that Germany plays a critical role in this issue.
Settling the Tymoshenko issue is the main condition for closing an association agreement with the EU, which Ukraine hoped to sign at the Eastern Partnership Summit in Vilnius on November 28-29. But a week earlier Ukraine put on hold the preparation for the agreement's delivery.
In October 2011, Tymoshenko was sentenced to seven years in prison for abuse of power. The judge said she abused her powers when she signed a 2009 deal with Moscow, under which Ukraine paid a high price for Russian gas. She also faces accusations in a high-profile murder case.