Ukrainian experts have positively evaluated the declaration of the Eastern Partnership summit in Warsaw.
Ukraine’s ex-Foreign Minister Volodymyr Ohryzko at a press conference on Monday said that the document contains several positive aspects.
"For the first time over the many years of our relations with the EU, the text contains the concept of ‘Eastern European countries,’ which is a very interesting trend for the EU," he said.
In addition, according to Ohryzko, the declaration supports the country’s movement towards Europe and welcomes its European choice.
He also noticed that the idea of a visa-free regime in the far distant prospect been removed from the document, and the practice of signing association agreements will continue with other states of the program.
In turn, President of the Institute of World Policy Olena Hetmanchuk said that the fact that the declaration does not consider the introduction of a visa-free regime as a far-off prospect anymore is a very good aspect.
In addition, the expert noted that the Eastern Partnership summit obviously showed that Ukraine-EU talks on the association agreement would be finished this year. At the same time, Hetmanchuk said that many European officials are really concerned about the trial on Ukraine’s ex-Premier Yulia Tymoshenko.
"The biggest negative point is the deviation from democracy in all Eastern Partnership countries," the expert said. According to her, Ukraine and Belarus were the most actively discussed countries at the summit.
"Unfortunately, these states were mentioned in the same context: the situation with political prisoners in Belarus…and the situation with trials [of opposition members in Ukraine]," Hetmanchuk said.
