Former Ukrainian Foreign Minister Volodymyr Ohryzko has said that it will take six or seven more months for Ukraine to set up a free trade area with the European Union if the right approach is chosen.
"It’s naïve to say that this will happen in a month or two. But the last round of talks and certain information we have indicate that we are on the right track. I think that at least four or five rounds [of talks] will be needed, and this means that it will take six or seven months if the right approach is chosen," he told reporters on Friday.
While commenting on visa issues, Ohryzko said that if Ukraine fully meets the requirements set by the EU, then it could have a good chance to switch to a visa-free regime ahead of Euro 2012. He said that Ukraine had adopted a pragmatic stance in this area and was currently ahead of all Eastern Partnership countries.
As reported, a Ukraine-EU summit will take place in Brussels on Nov. 22. Kyiv hopes that a plan to introduce a visa-free regime for short-term travel with EU countries will be approved at the summit.
