President of Ukraine Viktor Yanukovych can not interfere in the case of former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko, because it would violate the law, foreign minister of Ukraine Leonid Kozhara stated during the U.S. Helsinki Commission hearing in Washington on Wednesday.

Kozhara said that Ukraine is committed to the European integration and confidently follows the way of reforms.

He said that the possibility of releasing former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko should be considered solely in accordance with the Ukrainian legislation, Ukrinform reported.

Kozhara expressed Ukraine's wish that this issue be resolved soon, adding, at the same time, that it is imperative that everything associated with Tymoshenko should be done in full accordance with Ukrainian legislation. He said statements about the so-called "selective justice" in Ukraine are often made in the West, but if Tymoshenko is released bypassing the law, this will cause a severe blow to the Ukrainian justice system.

At the same time, he acknowledged that the Tymoshenko case is a problem for Ukraine's relations with the European Union.

The minister said that no one is happy with Tymoshenko's staying in custody. At the same time, he stressed that millions of the Ukrainians believe that her conviction was legitimate. Kozhara reminded of the annual losses of the Ukrainian economy, to more than six billion dollars, from the gas contract signed by the former Prime Minister. 

Asked about the possibility of releasing Tymoshenko given her complaints about health, Kozhara limited himself to quoting the decision of the European Court of Human Rights, promulgated on April 30.

As reported, the ECHR rejected the appeals of the former Prime Minister about the conditions of her detention and the denial of medical care to her at an appropriate level.

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