The establishment of free trade zones between Ukraine and its strategic partners will help Kyiv counter the financial crisis, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Kostiantyn Hryschenko told the Freedom of Speech program shown on the ICTV television channel.
Hryschenko described the decision to form a free trade zone within the CIS as a great achievement of its member countries.
"Brussels and the main capitals have made it absolutely clear that it in no way runs counter to our goal – the signing of the Association Agreement, including [the creation of] a free trade zone with the EU," the Ukrainian minister said.
Free trade zones that obey the rules of the World Trade Organization (WTO) do not contradict each other in any way, he said.
"This is what complements and broadens the space of stable development. This is what creates preconditions to overcome the financial crisis which European states and all other countries that, like Ukraine, depend on exports are battling today," Hryschenko said.
The minister said he was convinced that the sooner Kyiv proves that it is capable of securing free trade with its neighbors, strategic partners in the East and the West, the sooner guarantees for minimizing the effect of the global financial crisis will be gained.
"Should its next stage be very serious on a worldwide scale, we would be able to minimize its consequences jointly, and we would be able to move forward, seeing this serious European prospect ahead," Hryschenko said.
