The Czech parliament postponed the ratification of the Association Agreement between Ukraine and the EU until mid-June, spokesman of the Chairman of the Parliament Jan Novacek told RIA Novosti on Wednesday.
"The Parliament of the Czech Republic postponed the ratification of the Association Agreement between Ukraine and the EU until the next session, which will start on June 15," Novacek said.
The decision to postpone the ratification of the agreement was made at the last minute as the parliamentary faction of the Communist Party of Bohemia and Moravia (KSCM) vetoed the discussion. As result, the issue of the agreement’s ratification was removed from the session’s agenda.
"The current government of Ukraine has no credibility among the Czech Communists. So, we do not want that the Czech Republic approves any of its agreements," KSCM representative Paul Kovascik said on Wednesday.
The leader of the party, Vojtech Filip, told Sputnik that he and his colleagues are concerned about Ukraine’s non-compliance with the basic principles of the rule of law.
“There is political persecution in Ukraine, " the KSCM leader said. “People are being persecuted because they support petitions demanding changes in the management, decentralization of the Kiev government; [demanding] that Russian-speaking regions, seeking a certain degree of autonomy from Kiev, receive this autonomy,” he added.
According to the statements of the party’s officials, it is likely that KSCM members will block the discussion of the agreement’s ratification during the next session as well.
