A high-ranking diplomat said on Thursday that Ukraine wants to sign its Association Agreement with the EU at the March 20-21 summit of EU leaders, according to local media.

"The signature of the Association Agreement (AA) will bolster Ukraine's strength in the face of Moscow, which is putting greater pressure on Kiev's new authorities, "the Ukrainian ambassador to the EU Kostiantyn Yelisieiev told EurActiv, just before meeting high EU officials to pass on the same message.

An association agreement between the EU and Ukraine was initialed in March 2012 and a Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Agreement (DCFTA) was also agreed.

The EU had wanted to sign those deals at the November 28-29 Vilnius summit on the Eastern Partnership, but its plans were derailed by the then president of the country, Viktor Yanukovych.

Yelisieiev said that the best moment to sign the AA would be the spring EU summit in March. According to the Ukrainian constitution, the AA could be signed either by the president, by the prime minister, or by a mandated minister, he explained.

Yelisieiev also said he and his authorities expect the AA to be accompanied by a political declaration, which could spell out the "European perspective" of Ukraine, which is a non-committal jargon term to say that the country is seen by the EU as a future member of the Union.

Go to Forum >>0 Comment(s)