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Ukraine, EU could sign association pact in second half of 2009

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Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko said Tuesday after the Ukraine-EU summit in Paris that he expected his country to sign an "association agreement" with the 27-nation bloc in the second half of 2009.
KIEV, September 9 (RIA Novosti) - Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko said Tuesday after the Ukraine-EU summit in Paris that he expected his country to sign an "association agreement" with the 27-nation bloc in the second half of 2009.

The president also said that the sides had reached an agreement that would abolish the visa regime for Ukrainians in the future.

"In a joint statement, the EU stressed its support for Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity," Yushchenko said, adding that he was content with the summit results. "We welcome the signals the EU gave Ukraine. They are encouraging and promising."

Ukraine and the EU started talks on a new agreement in March 2007. The Ukrainian leader has said his country wanted a deal that would include membership guarantees, which is further than many EU members are willing to go.

But Yushchenko said he believes Ukraine has made "huge progress" this year on the way to integration to the EU. "In all directions, the dynamics should be assessed as excellent," he told journalists.

"Today we started a very ambitious plan that will with time lead us to victory," he said. "Today we received the qualification of a European country."

Yushchenko has pushed hard for Ukraine's integration into the EU and NATO, and the next step would be a Membership Action Plan from the military alliance.

NATO refused at its summit in April to let Ukraine into MAP, a key step for membership in the 26-nation alliance, but promised to review the decision in December. The country, along with Georgia, had received strong U.S. backing for its bid.

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