MOSCOW, July 30 (RIA Novosti) - In a Monday appearance before the Atlantic Council, Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin stated that Ukrainian membership in the European Union has always been his intention, and that he is looking ahead to future EU membership as the country begins ratification and implementation of the European Association Agreements.
“The idea of influence the EU for EU membership..., it was always my point,” said Klimkin of EU membership. “We are not a Euro country, but we have a long way to go. But our way is the way to European values, is the way to European Union, is the way to European standards.”
He continued, “[It] does not matter how difficult it could be and what price we should pay for that, because it's the choice of all Ukrainians. It's the national consensus in Ukraine, it's the consensus in Ukrainian society, it’s the consensus in Ukraine politics.” Klimkin stated that the government in Kiev “will strengthen this up on the way to European Union.”
According to a CNN poll taken a few weeks before the Association Agreements were signed, only a small majority, 57 percent of Ukrainians expressed the desire to join the EU. The signing of the Association Agreements took place on June 27 and through each phase of implementation Ukraine will become more politically and economically integrated with the European Union, and will also become part of the European free trade zone. Because of the agreement with Europe, Ukraine will lose preferential trade arrangements with Russia, including possible new tariffs and changes in energy rates.
Klimkin continued that his outlook has always been a Ukraine more closely tied to the West than to Russia and other partners in the East. “It was always my point, that after full implementation of the association agreement, Ukraine will look like a different country, a real European country.” From his perspective, it will take only a couple of months for Ukraine to “enjoy the full power of Association Agreements.”
In the meantime, he expects that the European Union will commit to Ukraine in a similar way as it committed to new EU member states. “It should also be the challenge for the European Union to assist us in ways that the European Union assisted new member states.”
