KYIV. Sept 3 (Interfax-Ukraine) – Twenty-two member states of the European Union have already completed the ratification of Ukraine-EU Association Agreement, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin has said,
“As of today, 22 EU member states have already ratified [the agreement]…This process has been completed in the legal aspect,” he said during a joint meeting of the Verkhovna Rada Committees for European Integration and Foreign Affairs on Wednesday.
Klimkin said that six EU countries are yet to complete ratification: the Czech Republic, Belgium, Italy, the Netherlands, Greece and Cyprus, adding that the process is ongoing in the latter two countries.
According to Klimkin, the key political parties in Greece have promised Ukraine that the ratification process will be speeded up as soon as the upcoming elections in Greece are held, a position echoed by the Greek Foreign Ministry.
“As for Cyprus, the situation is connected with the parliament’s desire to see our final aspiration and devotion to this affair, to put amendments to the convention on evading double taxation. There is an essential lobby in the Cyprian parliament [on this issue]. Now this issue has been settled,” Klimkin said,
In addition, he said that on September 4-5 there will be an informal meeting of EU foreign ministers to discuss strengthening the influence of the EU in the Eastern Partnership countries.
Klimkin said that the foreign ministers will also discuss the strategic vision of the development of EU – Russian relations, as well as the ongoing process of reform in Ukraine.
