Representatives of the European Union and Ukrainian Foreign Minister Kostiantyn Hryschenko, who participated in a foreign ministerial meeting of the Visegrad Four, the Baltic states and Eastern Partnership countries in Prague, have confirmed their intention to initial the EU-Ukraine association agreement by the end of the first quarter of 2012, the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry's press service has reported.
Particular attention at the meeting was paid to the drafting of the Eastern Partnership roadmap that will outline priorities in the context of bilateral relations between the EU and partner countries and the multilateral dimension of the Eastern Partnership initiative until 2013.
In his speech, Hryschenko noted the importance of strengthening the Eastern Partnership’s role as a practical tool to support reforms in partner countries.
"In this context, the foreign minister said that the principle of an updated European Neighborhood Policy should be directed to support the implementation of the future association agreement and an action plan on visa liberalization between Ukraine and the EU," reads the statement.
The meeting was also attended by EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Catherine Ashton and EU Commissioner for Enlargement and European Neighborhood Policy Stefan Fule.
According to the ministry’s press service, Hryschenko also had bilateral meetings with Fule, the foreign ministers of Azerbaijan and Estonia, as well as Denmark’s Minister for Trade and Investment Pia Olsen Dyhr.
The Ukrainian foreign minister also participated in a foreign ministerial meeting of GUAM member states, during which Azerbaijan set out the priorities of its chairmanship of this organization in 2012.
