BRUSSELS, May 12, 2015 /PRNewswire/ --

At the concluding session of the two-day international forum, "Donbass: Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow," most European and foreign guests stated that the war in Eastern Ukraine was a "direct result" of last year's coup d'état in Kiev which had stopped "the normal democratic development of the country".

French MEP Jean-Luc Schaffhauser told a closing news conference, "After the new government took power in Ukraine the problem of the Russian-speaking minority in the East, who refused to accept new realities in the country, immediately evolved."

Unwilling to recognize the position of the Donbass region, the Kiev authorities, said the MEP, had "started to speak about" decentralization of powers among Ukraine's regions.

At the same time, Schaffhauser, a member of the European Parliament's influential foreign affairs committee, believes that the correct option now for Eastern Ukraine is "wide autonomy."

But at present, when war, destruction and human suffering has become a bitter reality, he said the people of Donbass "have good reason" to seek independence for the region.

He also believes that the "voice of Donbass" is now being increasingly heard in Europe so people in the east of Ukraine "must know that they are not alone".

Italian analyst and political scientist Alessandro Musolino underlined that Europe - France, Germany and Italy in particular - understands the necessity of finding a peaceful solution to the ongoing crisis which is now into its second year.

He suggested that the example of South Tyrol in Italy, an autonomous region with a German-speaking majority, might become a "good option" for war-torn Donbass.

Senior representatives of the Donetsk and Lughansk republics appealed to their European guests to bring "true information" about the real situation in Donbass to the notice of their public and politicians.

Alongside self-determination, the people of Donbass are seeking a lifting of an economic blockade on their part of Ukraine and for Europe to give the region a chance for the normal development of a once powerful multi-branded economy.

Greek MP Evgenia Ouzounidou believed that the mission of the foreign participants to the Forum was to highlight "true and objective" information about Donbass in the EU.

"Unfortunately most European governments support the aggressive policy of Kiev in the South East of Ukraine," she said.

The former President of South Tyrol, Lois Durnwalder, assured the people of Donbass that they have "every right to self-determination and to speak their mother tongue."

He pointed out that South Tyrol had come a long way, one "full of sufferings and problems," before finally achieving "a happy, peaceful and prosperous life" for its population.

Directly addressing the inhabitants of Donbass, Durnwalder said: "You must be sure that one day you'll be a success."

SOURCE On behalf of the office of Jean Luc Schaffhauser MEP (Member of the European Parliament)