The postponed visit by Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych to Brussels does not mean a postponed signing of an association agreement with the European Union, the Party of Regions said.
"The parties have not expressed any intention to depart from the timeframe agreed on earlier," Party of Regions parliamentarian Volodymyr Vecherko told journalists on Tuesday.
"I want to stress that the negotiating process regarding the EU-Ukraine agreement of association to create a free trade zone has lasted more than one year. Both parties are through a huge stage of this work, and the internal process in either Ukraine or the EU cannot jeopardize its result," he said.
Probably, senior EU officials have yet to formulate their position on Ukraine, he said.
"If the visit is postponed, Ukraine will use the extended time to prepare additional arguments in favor of its position," he added.
At the same time, Ukraine has earlier provided sufficient amount of evidence of its commitment to the European integration course, Vecherko said.
"If the EU wants to see additional reassurances, our state is capable of providing them too," the deputy said.
The negotiating process on the agreement on Ukraine’s associated membership and the criminal trial against ex-premier Yulia Tymoshenko should be kept separate, Vecherko said.
