Volodymyr Rybak: Ukraine is grateful to the Republic of Poland for active and consistent support of the course of Ukraine towards European integration.
The Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Volodymyr Rybak said this on Monday during the meeting with Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Poland to Ukraine Henryk Litwin.
“Ukraine’s strategic course towards European integration remains unchanged. European integration means for us first of all systematic reforms,” he said. “It is a long and complicated process for the young Ukrainian democracy, and we hope for further assistance of the Polish side in implementation of reforms in Ukraine with consideration of the Polish experience in this sphere.”
One of the key events in the dialogue with the European Union, said V. Rybak, should become the 16th Ukraine-EU Summit to be held on February 25 this year. “We hope that this Summit will bring us closer to signing the Association Agreement between Ukraine and the EU. Singing the Association Agreement is the main priority for Ukraine,” said the Chairman of the Parliament. “We hope that the Agreement will be signed without delays, immediately after the sides complete the necessary technical procedures. We consider the Eastern Partnership Summit in Vilnus in November this year as the latest date for signing the Agreement.”
Ukraine, said Volodymyr Rybak hopes that during the February Ukraine-EU Summit in Brussels the parties will approve political decision on Ukraine’s transition to the second phase of implementation of the Action Plan on Liberalization of Visa Regime with the EU.
“We are grateful to the Polish Party for its active stand in this respect and hope for further support,” he said. “We also hope that the Polish Party will support our stand by results of the trilateral meeting of the Inter-Parliamentary Assembly of Ukraine, Poland, and Lithuania, which is to be held soon, and send a joint address to the Parliaments of Ukraine, Poland and Lithuania in support of Ukraine’s European choice and signing of the Association Agreement.”
In his turn, Mr. Ambassador assured that Poland “has always supported and will support Ukraine’s aspirations towards European integration.” He stressed the hopes that the Association Agreement would be signed this year. According to Henryk Litwin, Poland also believes that visa-free regime is a very important element for Euro-integrational processes for Ukraine.