"It is impossible to change the policy," he said, "because it is not determined by only one person. Appropriate criteria exist to develop in the spirit of mutual understanding and trust." According to him, there are no reasons "to stop at what we have achieved" or to revise the adopted documents.
The presidential elections in Ukraine are scheduled for October 31.
The ambassador also noted that Russian-Ukrainian trade for the first seven months of 2004 totaled $9.3 billion.
"This year, our trade may reach $15 billion," Mr. Beloblotsky said.
Speaking about the negotiation process on the Azov-Kerch problems, the ambassador said that "the sides' mutual trust has not been shaken." (The Sea of Azov and the Kerch Strait are historically the internal waters of Russia and Ukraine and there is a problem regarding the division of the waters.)
"The negotiations are on going and the sides cannot name yet their final day," he said. "Presently, they are discussing all kinds of documents and the motives of the Russian and Ukrainian sides. This is a very delicate problem and has great importance in bilateral relations."
"There is nothing in this negotiation process that could complicate it or lead to a dead end," he said.
