The possible signing of the Association Agreement between Ukraine and the European Union during the Eastern Partnership Summit in Vilnius in November 2013 will be a breakthrough in EU-Ukraine relations, ex-President of Poland and Yalta European Strategy (YES) Board Chairman Aleksander Kwasniewski has said.
“I absolutely agree that 2013 will be a historic year in the development of relations between Ukraine and the EU,” he said at a meeting with Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych in Kyiv on Tuesday, March 19.
“I think the signing of the Association Agreement, including the Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area, at the summit in Vilnius in November will be a breakthrough in our relations and it will be a historic moment for both Europe and Ukraine that will change a lot of things,” he said.
In turn, Yanukovych said he hoped that the Association Agreement would be signed in Vilnius in November. He added that the reform implementation process in Ukraine would contribute to this.
“Systemic reforms that are being implemented in Ukraine, and our joint programs with the European Union will contribute to this,” he said.
Yanukovych added that Ukraine’s priority tasks of strengthening the rule of law and an independent judiciary remain unchanged. He also said that cooperation with YES is important, as it helps to promote Ukraine’s European integration.
