Brussels is waiting for Kyiv's evaluation of the Association Agreement with the EU in the context of its national interests as well as its clear position regarding the signing of the document.
After that the EU is planning to formulate its position on Ukraine,
Foreign Minister of Lithuania Linas Linkevicius has said in an exclusive
interview with Interfax-Ukraine.
“After the recent comments of the president [of Ukraine Viktor
Yanukovych], we need to make things clear. It is difficult to talks
about the preparations for the signing if such an evaluation exists. We
have to know Ukraine’s position regarding its intention to continue
doing what we have been doing all this time. If they say that the things
we’ve been doing contradict the country’s interests, then it’s hard to
hope that the document will be signed, and there is not even any logic
in thinking about this,” the minister said.
Linkevicius also said that the agreement is useful for Ukraine, as it takes the country on the path of modernization.
“But, as I’ve said, I heard a different commentary from the
president, and it confused me. I hope that someone just spoke
inaccurately or the evaluation was made in a rush,” he said.
The minister added that the EU wanted to make clear the status of its relations with Ukraine.
“We are concerned about the issue all the time. We even had common
plans to sign the agreement in Vilnius up until the last minute. And it
was not an illusion. But it all ended just at the moment when it could
be done. I’m asking you who can guarantee that we are not facing the
same situation. In addition, after such commentaries is there any sense
in talking about the agreement in Brussels, its implementation and its
consequences, if it, according to the evaluation, contradicts the
country’s interests? That’s why we need to make things clear,” he said.
As reported, on December 12, the first round of high-level talks on
the resumption of the dialogue on the signing of the Association
Agreement took place in Brussels with the participation of Ukrainian
First Deputy Prime Minister Serhiy Arbuzov and European Commissioner for
Enlargement and European Neighborhood Policy Stefan Fule. During the
talks, the sides agreed on the further specific steps aimed at speeding
up this process.
Asked when Brussels expected to receive Kyiv’s evaluation,
Linkevicius said: “All deadlines have expired, we don’t have any other
deadlines.”
