You're reading: Estonian President: Pressure by third countries on Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia because of closer ties with EU unacceptable

Tallinn, October 2 (Interfax-Ukraine) – President of Estonia Toomas Hendrik Ilves has said he supports Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia's having closer ties with the European Union.

During a meeting with President of Romania Traian Basescu, he said that Estonia and Romania are associates regarding the EU Eastern Partnership.

However, Ilves criticized the third states that are now putting pressure on Ukraine and Moldova to force them give up their efforts to draw closer to the EU, the press service of the Estonian president told Interfax-Ukraine.

“They want to belong to Europe, see their future with the European Union,” he said.

According to him, “this is their free choice, which we support as strongly as we oppose the attempts to impose different future on them through sanctions and threats.”

The president expressed hope that at the Eastern Partnership Summit in Vilnius in November an Association Agreement on a FTA with Ukraine would be signed, and that similar agreements with Moldova and Georgia would be initialed.

Ilves assured his Romanian counterpart that Estonia supports the accession of Romania to Schengen visa free area.