OSCE Chairman-in-Office hopes that elections in Ukraine to be held without foreign interference

He stated this during an official visit to Ukraine, the OSCE’s press center reported.

"I am sure that all parties in Ukraine will work hard to ensure that the upcoming elections will be open, free and fair, and I hope that there will be no interference from external actors," Lajčák said.

According to him, the 2019 presidential and parliamentary elections in Ukraine "can set the stage for a more peaceful and prosperous future for all Ukrainians."

During the two-day visit, the OSCE Chairman-in-Office held a meeting with the country's leadership and stressed that the crisis in and around Ukraine would be a top priority of Slovakia’s OSCE Chairmanship. He called for a political settlement of this crisis and for an immediate improvement of the living conditions of those affected by it.