Official Statement
by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Donetsk People's Republic
Regarding the Position of the EU Foreign Affairs Council

On the 14th of April, the EU Foreign Affairs Council made an extensive statement on Ukraine that involves and infringes the sovereign rights of the Donetsk People Republic directly. In particular, the EU Council declared as follows:

"The European Union condemns actions undertaken by armed individuals in cities of Eastern Ukraine… attempts at destabilizing Ukraine must come to an end… The Council reiterates its strong support for Ukraine's unity, sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity… The EU calls on all parties to keep utmost restraint and commends the Ukrainian authorities for pursuing their law and order operations in a measured manner and encourages the government in Kyiv to contribute further to reducing tensions."

This statement of the EU Council for Foreign Affairs bears witness to the fact that the European countries intend to continue interfering with free self-determination of the people of Donbass and Novorossiya in case they have grounds for suspecting that the result of such free self-determination might interfere with the objectives of their "European policy", the policy of unrestrained military and political expansion of the EU and NATO to the East. What stands out in the statement is the actual support rendered by the EU to the instances of using military force against civilians by Kiev they dub cynically as "reducing tensions".

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Donetsk People's Republic reiterates that any determining of the ways to "finding a political solution" the EU calls for is impossible and useless without recognition of the existence of the Donetsk People's Republic on part of the EU countries as an actual fact and without participation of its representatives in the negotiations as a fully legitimate party. Any negotiations regarding the situation in the regions of Donbass and Novorossiya are possible only with the participation of our representatives and subject to the recognition of the right of the people of Donbass to make decisions regarding their own Constitution and their political future. We reiterate that any decisions and arrangements regarding the political future of Donbass made by third parties behind our back, without our participation and for the account of infringement of the sovereign rights of the Donetsk People's Republic are null and void and will not be implemented.

We cannot intervene with diplomats from major powers wasting their time and efforts in senseless negotiations regarding our fate and our future, but we are in a position to declare that the political future of Donbass, Novorossiya and the Donetsk People's Republic can and will only be determined by its people at elections being free from political leverage of the coup-makers who seized the power in the city of Kiev, under the defense of the armed part of the people, the People's Militia and the South East Liberation Army.

Any attempts at depriving peoples of their right to free choice of their political future, attempts at predetermining the limits and bounds of that choice on the people's behalf made on the part of the Kiev junta and its European masters are doomed to debacle. Any attempts the EU countries make to construct a "political stall" for the people of Donbass where that people is ought to stay according to the European officials, are futile and will be rebuffed by the people. The European officials who lost touch with reality will only fan popular protest in Donbass and Novorossiya, face radicalization of that protest and strengthening of the self-defense forces.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Donetsk People's Republic warns the EU that such an unfriendly and short-sighted policy will inevitably bring about a political fiasco of the European Union in the East, a complete loss of its authority and any influence to the east of its borders. The EU countries must repudiate lopsided support of their political clientele in Kiev and start extensive consolations with the representatives of Donbass and Novorossiya immediately.

This Official Statement of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Donetsk People's Republic has been made known to the representatives of:

- the United States Department of State,
- The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia,
- Mrs. C. Ashton, High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy.

E. Gubareva, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Donetsk People's Republic
Donetsk, the 17 of April, 2014