Ukraine Demonstrates Positive Trend Toward Signing Association Agreement - EU Commissioner

KYIV, Ukraine, July 31, 2013 /PRNewswire/ --

Ukraine demonstrates positive trend while preparing for signing the Association Agreement with the EU in November 2013. Ukraine's government understands how important the agreement is for the country as well as for the EU. This was stated by the European Commissioner for Enlargement and Neighborhood Policy Štefan Füle in his interview with Polish Gazeta Wyborcza, reads unian.net.

In Füle's opinion, Ukrainian government was firm in its decision to integrate with the European Union and was not choosing between Europe and the Russia-led Customs Union.

The Eastern European country will sign the document if it succeeds in fulfilling the agreed upon requirements. "Of course, the country [Ukraine] will be able to sign the Association Agreement in November; it all depends on the country. The position of the EU is clear: Ukraine should eliminate selective justice, reform election legislation, and demonstrate progress in implementing European standards," commented the European Commissioner.

He also mentioned that even in case Ukraine-EU Association Agreement is not signed at the Eastern Partnership summit in Vilnius, Ukraine's role in the region would not diminish, on the contrary "it will strengthen and create great opportunities for cooperation with all neighbors, including Russia."

The Ambassador of Lithuania to Ukraine Petras Vaitiekūnas earlier released a similar statement during his recent interview with the journalists, saying that Ukraine has been demonstrating tangible progress in European integration aspirations. In his opinion, the Eastern Partnership policy today remains essential for the expansion of European values. Therefore, it is necessary that these values are gradually becoming a priority for other Eastern European countries, which are not inherent in the pursuit of democracy and the rule of law.

The Ambassador mentioned that the Eastern Partnership policy held by the European Union was the evidence that the EU had been interested in giving Ukraine the status of a member of this organization in the future.

Moreover, on April 11, 2013 Prime Minister of Estonia Andrus Ansip, while meeting with Prime Minister of Ukraine Mykola Azarov, expressed his belief that the association agreement between Ukraine and the EU would be signed on November 21, 2013.