"Jordan Times", 14.12 2012
Amman – The Ukrainian government is asking Jordan to help secure the release of a journalist kidnapped in Syria in October, Ukrainian Ambassador to Jordan Serhiy Pasko said on Thursday.
Ukrainian journalist Anhar Kochneva was abducted while reporting from Syria for a Russian TV news station, Pasko said, adding that the kidnappers identified themselves as members of the Free Syrian Army in a video posted on the Internet.
“At this point, the kidnappers are still holding her and threatening to end her life unless the Ukrainian government pays a $50 million ransom for her release”, Pasko told reporters at a press conference, adding that the kidnappers had set Thursday as a deadline for the ransom to be paid.
“We have sought assistance from the Jordanian government due to Jordan’s good relations with all parties in the region, he said.
“The Ukrainian government reiterates its position with regards to the situation in Syria, which is based on our absolute rejection of the killing of innocent civilians. We are against violence and we wish the Syrian people prosperity and progress”, Pasko added, noting that Ukraine has provided financial assistance to Syrian refugees in Jordan, Lebanon, Turkey and Iraq.