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The European Union does not intend to take a pause before signing the Association Agreement with Ukraine, Head of the EU Delegation to Ukraine Jose Manuel Pinto Teixeira has said.

"He [President of Ukraine Viktor Yanukovych] said that the EU wants to take a break. But this is not the case. As I see it, Mr. Yanukovych made this statement because he understands that the EU currently is not ready to sign the agreement if this issue is raised. But this does not mean that we want to delay anything. Why should we need a pause?" he said in an interview with the Kommersant-Ukraine Newspaper published on May 30.

According to Teixeira, the EU has no doubt about the importance of this agreement for both the EU and Ukraine.

"However, there are certain people in Ukraine who will not benefit from this agreement. They really have nothing to lose if there is a pause," the EU ambassador said.

He also expressed doubt that the issue of signing the agreement would be raised before the parliamentary elections in Ukraine.

"At the same time it does not mean that the election will be the only criterion to be taken into account," the ambassador said.

Answering the question of whether he does not rule the isolation of Ukraine, Teixeira said: "As you know, the EU member-states have different views on this matter. But the vast majority do not think highly about the developments in Ukraine in the past two years, and they are currently making appropriate decisions."

The diplomat also said he was disappointed at the way things turned out in Ukraine during his tenure as the EU ambassador.

"Four years ago we hoped not only to conclude the negotiations by 2012, but also to bring into force the Association Agreement, expected a substantial progress in the implementation of reforms. We planned to provide the budget support to Ukraine and see the result of our assistance. And finally, we counted on a certain level of respect for European values: democracy, human rights, and the rule of law. Unfortunately, the situation is different today. I can say that the expectations have not been met by far, both my personal and those of the EU," he said.

As reported, Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych said at a meeting with Moldovan President Nicolae Timofti on May 11 that the pause in relations between Ukraine and the European Union would be useful for both sides.

On May 16, EU High Representative for Foreign and Security Policy, Vice-President of the European Commission Catherine Ashton decided that Jose Manuel Pinto Teixeira would be replaced by Jan Tombinski as Head of the EU Delegation to Ukraine.