PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS IN UKRAINE

That this House notes that Joao Soares, President of the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe Parliamentary Assembly, has called Ukraine's presidential election a grandiose success for Ukraine and a victory for democracy; further notes the comments of Mátyás Eörsi, Head of the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly observer mission, that democratic elections in Ukraine are now a reality; congratulates the Ukrainian people on staging competitive elections and urges other neighbouring nations to follow suit; hopes and believes that a lasting legacy of the Orange Revolution will be a respect for and adherence to basic democratic procedures and practices; reiterates support for Ukraine's ambitions to become a candidate for membership of the European Union whilst underlining the need for continuing judicial, political and economic reform to achieve this; and looks forward to the summer of 2012 when London and Kiev will be the centre of the sporting world, staging respectively the Olympic Games and the European Football Championships.