MP Friz stresses expediency of consolidating Ukraine's Euro-Integration, Euro-Atlantic courses in Constitution

The consolidation of the country's Euro-Integration and Euro-Atlantic courses in the preamble of the Constitution guarantees the impossibility of revenge on the part of pro-Russian political forces, Member of the Verkhovna Rada, Ukraine's parliament (Petro Poroshenko Bloc) and chairwoman of Ukraine's delegation to NATO's Parliamentary Assembly Iryna Friz has said.

"This gives us a chance to expect that there will no revenge attempts that can begin in the year of turbulence - in the year of the 2019 election campaigns," Friz said during the presentation of the publication "NATO: UKRAINIAN CHOICE" in Kyiv on Tuesday.

She noted that the introduction of such amendments to the Basic Law would not allow Ukraine to withdraw from the Euro-Atlantic and European policy, and no revanchist forces in Ukraine would be able to use NATO as a disconnected theme, including during election campaigns in 2019.

According to Friz, if President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko submits relevant proposals to the Verkhovna Rada before the parliamentary holidays (mid-July), the parliamentarians will be able to support them at least by 226 votes and send them to the Constitutional Court for clarification - whether they answer the Basic Law.

"And the Constitutional Court, most likely, could give its interpretation in the fall. If it happens in the autumn, then it will be possible to consider this issue and adopt [by a constitutional majority of 300 votes] at the next session," Friz said.

She noted that in recent years, especially after the annexation of Crimea by Russia, Ukrainians have changed their attitude towards NATO.