YALTA - Russian President Vladimir Putin hopes that the European Union will pay attention to post-Soviet countries striving towards European integration.
During a joint press conference in Livadia following the fifth
session of the Russian-Ukrainian interstate commission, Ukrainian
President Viktor Yanukovych was asked to comment on his recent address
in which he said that European integration and cooperation with European
countries are absolute priorities for Ukraine, while ranking Russia
among such countries as China and the United States in terms of
integration levels.
Putin added his own comment.
“The fact that Russia was ranked along with such countries as China
and the United States doesn’t hurt our feelings in any way, but, on the
contrary, flatters us. The fact that the European Union was put ahead of
us doesn’t offend us either, because we are aware of the volume of
cooperation and all that it implies,” he said.
Putin stressed that integration priorities are a sovereign choice for every country, a choice Russia will always respect.
He said he hoped that, “likewise, the European Union, despite its own
problems relating to Greece, Portugal, Spain, and Italy, will pay
attention to post-Soviet countries that have been so outspoken about
their choice and will make proper conclusions”.
