MOSCOW, October 30 (RIA Novosti) — Moscow believes that a timely constitutional reform will determine the future of the Ukrainian statehood and the well-being of various ethnic groups residing on the territory of the country, the Russian Foreign Ministry said Thursday.
"We are convinced that the fate of the Ukrainian statehood, welfare and development of peoples residing in Ukraine, without exaggeration, hangs on a timely and efficient constitutional reform," the ministry said in a statement.
"Attempts by Kiev to resolve issues related to constitutional reforms through behind-the scene scheming are bound to fail," the ministry said commenting on Venice Commission's approval of a bill amendments to the Ukrainian Constitution proposed by President Petro Poroshenko.
On October 27, the Venice Commission, a consultative body on constitutional law at the Council of Europe, revealed its evaluation of the amendments to the Constitution of Ukraine, noting that Ukrainian civil society was not informed of the proposed amendments and did not get a chance to participate in any consultations regarding the issue. The commission suggested that the draft law should be subject to public hearings prior to being adopted.
Earlier this month, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that an internal dialogue on Ukraine's future should include all of the country's political powers and regions, noting that such a discussion "must focus on Ukraine's constitutional structure and the future of the country where all the citizens without exception will live comfortably and in safety."
This summer, newly elected Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said that Ukraine would not become a federation, though the country's authorities were ready for decentralization. He then brought the corresponding constitutional amendments before the country's parliament for debate and asked the Venice Commission to study the proposed measures. Poroshenko's amendments proclaim decentralization of power as a key priority, creating a new system of checks and balances which includes dissolving regional administrations and giving their powers to local councils, able to manage their own budgets.
