Ukraine will have a free trade zone with the European Union after signing the EU Association Agreement

The fact that after the signing the Association Agreement with the European Union Ukraine will create a free trade zone with the EU should be taken as reality, Prime Minister Mykola Azarov said at a meeting of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine 28 August 2013, the press service of the Cabinet informs.

Mykola Azarov said that Ukraine strives to promote mutually beneficial cooperation with other countries.

He also stressed that Ukraine embraced the creation of the Customs Union, the same way as it should be accepted that after signing the Association Agreement with the European Union Ukraine will create a free trade area with the EU.

«The fact that within a single year within our borders a new formation emerged - the Customs Union of Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan - is accepted in Ukraine as the reality which we have to work with. The fact that from 1 January 2015 the association will move to further integration and the subject of cooperation will be the Eurasian Economic Union, we also accept as an objective factor in our economic relations. Therefore, even now the Ukrainian government and business actively adapt their actions to ensure that in their trade with the EurAsEC there are no obstacles, Azarov noted. - So, the fact that after signing the EU Association Agreement Ukraine will create a free trade zone with the European Union should also be perceived as a reality».

The Prime Minister insists that «these integration projects should not be opposed, but rather look for the best ways of interaction».

According to Mykola Azarov, in the interests of mutual cooperation, Ukraine is ready to gradually join the separate agreements in force within the Customs Union to optimize trading regime.

The Prime Minister instructed Viktor Suslov, the Government Agent in the Board of the Eurasian Economic Community, together with Russian colleagues to define and propose the Government an action plan in this area.