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President: Ukraine will continue negotiations with Russia on Strategic Partnership Agreement
03.12.2013 09:38 "Agro Perspectiva" (Kyiv) —
Negotiations with Russia on Strategic Partnership Agreement will begin this week. It was stated by the President in the interview to Ukrainian TV journalists, President Viktor Yanukovych Press Office reports.
«There is an arrangement with Russian Government to begin negotiations this week. We are aware of all the topics, we know each other very well, all our working groups have been cooperating long ago and we do not need plenty of time to understand one another,» the Head of State noted. According to him, the Strategic Partnership Agreement was signed in 1997 and now it is time for its prolongation.
The President stressed that respective negotiations had been held for a year and a half.
«The Russia blamed us that we do not take into account their interests in our negotiations with the EU,» the President said.
According to him, Russia is also concerned that Ukraine in the course of its negotiations with the EU does not hold consultations with Russia on the commodities that are vulnerable for Russia.
«Is this position fair? Certainly, it is. We do not want to lose our trade turnover with Russia. Russia does not want it either. This process is also longstanding,» the President emphasized.
«We want to achieve consensus with Russia and sign the Strategic Partnership Agreement. Otherwise we will always be in such an undefined state of relations,» the Head of State noted.
Also, Viktor Yanukovych stressed: «If Ukraine had signed the Association Agreement, it would have lost its dialogue with Russia».
«This opinion coincided with the opinion of the Government. When we started to discuss this situation in details, the proposal to suspend the signature of the FTA Agreement with the EU, hold this dialogue and determine the way to achieve compromises has emerged. But it is impossible without participation of Europe,» he told.
«Thus, we will have to organize a trilateral dialogue: Ukraine EU Russia. Still, the result of such negotiations is unknown,» the President said.
The Head of State emphasized that the European values were unchanged for Ukraine.
«I have emphasized repeatedly: I was, am and will be the supporter or European democratic values and standards. The reforms we initiated in 2010 are aimed at that,» he stressed adding that much had already been done but the more was to come.
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