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EU Ambassador Yeliseev looks to create appropriate conditions for Ukraine's association agreement with Brussels

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1420969864-9796Ukraine's EU ambassador says a "key priority" for the coming year should be creating "appropriate conditions" for the effective implementation of trade in part of his country´s association agreement with Brussels.

Kostyantyn Yeliseev (pictured) said he wants this to start by 1 January, 2016.

Another "challenge" for the coming year is ratification of the agreement by all EU member states, he said.

So far, it has only been ratified by 11 states.

In an interview, he said: "This is not only a legal, but also a political matter because the sooner the agreement is ratified and comes into force, the stronger will be Ukraine in negotiations with other partners, including Russia."

Looking back on the turbulent and bitter events affecting Ukraine during 2014, he said, "In the last year we clearly saw that the EU has become a key external supporter of Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.

"Ukrainian security strategy has never before considered the EU as an external factor for supporting Ukraine’s national security. But it is the EU which has become a restraining factor against the Kremlin’s brutal, aggressive policies."

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Turning to the upcoming 12 months, the ambassador went on: "This year, the EU faces the important challenge of preserving a united and solid position on the Ukrainian issue.

"It is not an easy task in the wake of the onslaught of Russian propaganda, which is aimed at splitting, dividing the EU member states and their foreign policy toward Ukraine."

He added: "That is why supporting and preserving the EU’s solid support for Ukraine’s defending its territorial integrity and sovereignty on the basis of the president’s peace plan will become our key priority. That’s the first thing."

"Secondly, it is important for the EU to focus on a range of issues which, in my opinion, could deescalate the situation in the Donbas and subsequently contribute to the recovery of Crimea."

Contrary to what some believe, new and beefed up sanctions against Russia are not  necessarily the top priority, he said.

Rather, the diplomat called for "massive political, financial, economic, humanitarian and even legal aid" for Ukraine.

"A stable and strong Ukraine," he said, "is the best guarantee for us to stand up for our national interests in the face of Russian aggression. This is what Moscow fears most and wants to prevent from happening."

On the energy front, he says he does not exclude that dialogue will resume in talks with Russia on gas issues.

"We have to decide what to do next: to move to a so-called summer package and to reach agreements on this matter, or to wait for the results of the Stockholm arbitration. But this process should not only take into account the position of the Ukrainian side, but also that of the EU and Russia."

Upcoming key events for the EU and Ukraine include the first visit of European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker to Ukraine in the early part of the year, a Ukraine-EU summit which will be held in Kyiv and an international conference on support for Ukraine.

Other important events include the inaugural meeting of the EU-Ukraine Association Parliamentary Committee at the beginning of February and the first visit of the Speaker of the Ukrainian Parliament Volodymyr Hroisman to Brussels.

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EU Reporter publishes articles from a variety of outside sources which express a wide range of viewpoints. The positions taken in these articles are not necessarily those of EU Reporter.

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