Kerry: Ukraine's anti-protest laws anti-democratic

US Secretary of State John Kerry said here Friday that the anti-protest laws that were passed by Ukraine are "anti-democratic" and violates the European Union (EU) norms. Before meeting his Greek counterpart Evangelos Venizelos, Kerry told reporters "the legislation that was rammed through the Rada without transparency and accountability violates all the norms of the OSCE (Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe) and the EU." He voiced deep belief that the people of Ukraine "want to affiliate and want to be associated with Europe and they want to turn in that direction." He stressed that the steps that were taken on Thursday "are anti-democratic, they're wrong, they are taking from the people of Ukraine their choice and their opportunity for the future." He affirmed "we will continue to stay focused on this issue, but this kind of anti-democratic maneuver is extremely disturbing and should be a concern to every nation that wants to see the people of Ukraine be able to not only express their wish but see it executed through the political process." Meanwhile, Kerry congratulated Greece on assuming the EU presidency, saying "we look forward very much to working with them in that role, but also in continuing the path towards economic recovery." "We know that it has been very, very difficult. Tough decisions had to be made. It is never easy politically. Those choices were made, and I think it is improving," he remarked. He added "step by step, we want to continue to not only work on that, but on our superb cooperation with respect to counterterrorism, the Balkans, the Middle East.