Ukrainian Foreign Ministry expresses 'disappointment at emotional reaction' of Israeli politicians over UN vote
The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry explained to the Ambassador of Israel to Ukraine, Eliab Belotserkovsky, the motives that led to the decision of the Ukrainian delegation to support the UN's anti-settlement resolution. Then, the Ministry reproached Israel for the "emotional reaction" of certain Israeli officials and politicians in connection with the results of the vote in New York, as reported by the press service of the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry.
"The Ukrainian side has expressed disappointment at the emotional reaction of certain Israeli officials and politicians in connection with the vote in New York City. The Israeli Ambassador received clarifications on the motives that led the Ukrainian delegation to support the said resolution," the statement of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs read.
The Ministry also stressed that Ukraine adheres to a consistent position on the settlement of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, which has been repeatedly expressed in various formats.
"Following the meeting, it was agreed to do anything possible to prevent the increase in tensions in Ukrainian and Israeli societies," the statement read.
It was reported that Ukraine and Israel will focus on the preparation of a number of important bilateral events, including holding the next round of negotiations on a free trade agreement in Kyiv, preparing for the signing of the implementation protocol for the recently ratified agreement regulating labor migration, and continuing the negotiations for the further liberalization of air communication.
According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the coordination of the schedule of high-level contacts for 2017 was also agreed to in the meeting.
Recently, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine summoned Israel's ambassador to clarify the reasons why Ukraine voted for the anti-settlement resolution at the UN Security Council.
The UN Security Council approved a draft resolution demanding that Israel stop building settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories, by a majority vote. The Israeli side responded negatively to the results of the vote; the Israeli Prime Minister ordered the Foreign Ministry to curtail most of the diplomatic work with the 12 states that voted for the UN Security Council resolution.