Ukraine's membership in the European Union (EU) would strengthen the union's competitiveness, according to Ukrainian Foreign Minister Kostiantyn Hryschenko.
"We’re presenting a principal position that Ukraine with a free trade zone [with the EU] and as a future full member of the European Union is one of the factors than would strengthen the competitiveness of the union," the minister said in an interview with the Fifth TV Channel late on Sunday.
Analyzing the talks on the creation of a free trade zone with the European Union, Hryschenko said that they require large efforts and the issue of agriculture is the most complicated issue in the talks.
"Our partners in the European Union say that the share of trade with Ukraine for the European Union is around 1%, while it is larger for us – over 30%, so we have a certain misbalance between what we can gain and what could change the situation for the European Union as a whole," he said.
