KYIV. Dec 14 (Interfax-Ukraine) – Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko is confident that Ukraine will manage to compensate the losses from the closure of the Russian market for Ukrainian producers in several years with the help of the deep and comprehensive free trade area (DCFTA) between Ukraine and the EU.
“We’re introducing the deep and comprehensive free trade area, we will introduce it less than in one month, from January 1, despite the resistance and pressure from Kreml… I have no doubt: in several years the agreement will compensate all the losses our national economy, the national budget, social area of the country and the purse of each Ukrainian faced due to the aggressive closure of its market for the Ukrainian market by Russia – we will overcome that,” Poroshenko said on Saturday, speaking at the forum of members of local councils from Petro Poroshenko Bloc’s Solidarity.
The president hopes that the European Commission will make a positive decision on the establishment of the visa-free regime for Ukrainian citizens shortly.
Poroshenko said that the key value for his party was European and Euro-Atlantic choice.
He said that further steps on decentralization of power are required in the country.
The president said that the fate of peace in eastern Ukraine depends on the amendments to the Constitution in part of decentralization.
“It happened that now the issue of the peace in Donbas is tightly linked to the decentralization issue. The moment of final voting for amendments to the Constitution is gradually approaching, and I have no doubt that it would be not easy to get this decision,” Poroshenko said.
The president said that the main tasks for the next year would be efficient struggle against corruption and achievement of sustainable peace in Donbas.
The head of state informed that he had found out about the absence of funds for the anti-corruption prosecution in the state budget 2016.
“I think it is a misunderstanding and a technical error, which will be corrected immediately,” Poroshenko said.
