Ukraine Prepares to Campaign for Association Agreement Vote in the Netherlands
Ukraine has developed an information campaign to convince the citizens of the Netherlands to support the ratification of the Association Agreement between Ukraine and the EU during a referendum scheduled for April of this year.
Dmitry Kuleba, the Ambassador at Large for the Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, provided some details of the plan at a briefing in UCMC (Ukrainian Crisis Media Center).
Commenting on Ukraine's preparations for the campaign, he stated it was aimed at gaining a positive decision on the planned referendum in April by citizens of the Netherlands. Kuleba noted that most of the activities in support of Ukraine will be carried out by non-governmental entities.
"It is better for the Dutch audience to see an unbiased opinion," said Kuleba.
He also noted that the support of the Government of the Netherlands will be in the best interest of Ukraine, but the Dutch government will try to avoid risking its reputation by its connection with the potential failure of the ratification of the Association Agreement.
Responding to a more exact question regarding the Ukrainian campaign in the Netherlands, Kuleba said that the Foreign Ministry has developed a plan that includes a variety of pre-election campaigns.
"There will be campaigns in social networks. There will also be public campaigns. I do not know the size of the billboards, but they will also be part of the campaign. There are going to be cultural events, information campaigns and ‘interpersonal contacts’ with the involvement of opinion leaders and stars of show business," he said.
Kuleba also stressed that the peak of the information campaign is planned for the two weeks before the referendum, exactly when the pinnacle of the opponents’ campaign is expected.