You're reading: Yanukovych calls on CIS not to overly politicize current issues

Moscow – Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych has urged CIS leaders to settle current issues within the commonwealth, without excessive politicization.

"As an active member of the CIS, Ukraine is genuinely interested in all relevant issues being settled according to the established negotiations procedures, without overly politicizing them," Yanukovych said at the informal summit of heads of the CIS states in Moscow on Tuesday.

The president also said that Ukraine was closely monitoring the mechanisms of economic integration within the CIS, in particular within the Customs Union and the Common Economic Space.

"Our experts are studying the legal framework of the Customs Union, its experience, analyzing the initiatives for the transformation of the Customs Union into the common economic space, [and then] into the Eurasian Economic Union. We are interested in establishing mutually beneficial cooperation with this association," he said.

At the same time, Yanukovych said that at the current stage the cooperation in various areas with individual countries that are members of the Customs Union was the most promising format, including cooperation in energy, high technology and integration of technical regulations.

The president also noted the importance of the ratification of the agreement on the establishment of a free trade area within the CIS.

"We hope that the CIS will become the common ground on which we will be able to effectively develop multilateral cooperation, taking into account the interests of the participants and members of the Customs Union, the Eurasian Economic Community, and the Common Economic Space," he said.