On Monday, Volodymyr Lytvyn,
Chairman of The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, met the members of France-Ukraine
Inter-Parliamentary Group of Friendship of the French Senate headed by senator Jean-Pierre Plancade,
Chairman of the Group.
V.Lytvyn declared that Ukraine was willing to extend cooperation between the countries, give impetus to the political dialogue, development of trade and economic cooperation and collaboration in the European affairs.
The Chairman of The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine called for further development of a parliamentary component of the bilateral cooperation. He expects that the visit of the French parliament members will be beneficial in this respect.
Jean-Pierre Plancade
stated that France was monitoring
the development of events in Ukraine
closely, welcoming the establishment of a stable parliamentary majority and
intentions of the authorities to implement reforms. The Chairman of the Group of Friendship also stressed that Ukraine
"has entered the European space, is a part of Europe
and follows the European way."
The Parties dwelled upon the European integration of Ukraine. The Chairman of The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine expects that the European community and institutions should demonstrate ‘the encouragement policy.´ "It is more important than ever to lend a helping hand to Ukraine," he stated.
V.Lytvyn deems necessary to consolidate European prospects of Ukraine in the Agreement on Association between Ukraine and the European Union. Commenting upon the free trade zone agreement, the Head of the Parliament stated that Ukraine "needs a document to confirm forthcoming integration", which is "for the benefit of Europe as well."
The Chairman of The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine expressed his gratitude to the delegation members for their support of European integration pursuits of Ukraine, especially in the part of a preferential visa regime with the EU member states.
On the request of the delegation members, V.Lytvyn briefed on the current situation in Ukraine and the progress of the local elections campaign.
The Chairman of The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine stated that crucial issues of domestic and foreign policy were clearly determined. He called for supporting a dialogue between the authorities and the public to ensure that decisions to be adopted are transparent and acceptable.
Dwelling upon the local elections, V.Lytvyn
admitted that the campaign will be highly responsible, as "the struggle for
power after the presidential elections is still going on."
Asked about the constitutional reform, the Head of the Parliament stated that this topic "should not turn into another political campaign." He calls for setting up an expert group to analyze the provisions of the Fundamental Law and submit relevant proposals.