04 April 2011, 09:01
In the interview to the Serbian periodical "Politika" published on Monday, V. Lytvyn reminded that the top priority for Ukraine, as defined by the Law of Ukraine "On the Fundamentals of Domestic and Foreign Policy of Ukraine" from July 1, 2010, is integration to the European Union. "The same goal is the priority of the foreign policy of Serbia, which opens new opportunities for mutually beneficial inter-state cooperation", he explained.
Thus, the Head of the Parliament declared, "There are no unsurmountable obstacles on the way of Ukraine to the EU, while there are a number of tasks to be solved by our state together with the EU." Volodymyr Lytvyn informed about the end of negotiations and conclusion of the Agreement of Association between the EU and Ukraine, formation of free trade zone with the EU, and the Action Plan on the visa free regime for the short-term visits of Ukrainian citizens to the EU member countries received by Ukraine on the 14th EU-Ukraine Summit in Brussels on November 22, 2010.
Ukraine, as well as Serbia, shall continue internal transformations and amend domestic legislation to harmonize it with the European standards, he added.
The Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine attaches great importance to the close inter-state cooperation aimed at the European integration. He is convinced that cooperation between Ukraine and Serbia in the sphere of European integration is already being realized by the exchange of experience in during the bilateral consultations at different levels, and assistance in the framework of regional initiative of the EU.
V. Lytvyn declared that bilateral consultations on the European integration between the Ministers of Foreign Affairs held in February 2011 confirmed similar tasks and goals of Ukraine and Serbia on the way to the EU membership. "Sharing experience of internal reforms in line with the European standards, formation of a free trade zone and simplification of the visa regime with the EU shall facilitate effective settlement of these tasks", he stressed.
Volodymyr Lytvyn attaches importance to the cooperation within the regional initiatives, such as the Central European Initiative, the Energy Community and the EU Strategy for the Danube region. "These regional forums are an extra opportunity for our states to advance the integration processes and to strengthen bilateral mutually beneficial cooperation", declared V. Lytvyn.