European Commissioner for External Relations and European Neighbourhood Policy Benita Ferrero-Waldner will partake in the EU-troika-Ukraine Foreign Ministerial to be held May 22 in Ljubljana, Slovenia, currently holding the EU Council Chairmanship.
Ukraine's Foreign Minister Volodymyr Ohryzko will arrive in Ljubljana to discuss with his European counterparts a whole spectrum of bilateral relations between Ukraine and the European Union.
The meeting participants will focus on the internal situation in Ukraine, as well as bilateral cooperation in the area of foreign policy and security policy. Apart from this, they will dwell on "a considerable progress" within the current negotiations on concluding a new enhanced bilateral agreement.
According to the EC press office, the European Commissioner means to use the meeting in Ljubljana to emphasize that the European Union keeps on backing Ukraine and stresses on the need to preserve its internal political stability. Such stability is an important factor for continuation of vital political and economic reforms in the country.
"I'm delighted with the considerable progress within the current talks on the new agreement. This agreement will be ambitious and innovative, it will reflect a great importance we put on such partnership. After Ukraine's WTO accession, we work hard on the aspects of the instrument which are related to creation of a free trade zone, and this is a crucial step towards Ukraine's full integration with European economics," Benita Ferrero-Waldner stressed.
She also said that a political stability is needed to succeed in the work and carry on reforms in Ukraine. To achieve the stability, a "key progress" in the constitutional reform is required which would ensure an adequate level of checks and balances.
As UKRINFORM early reported, Ukraine and the European Union launched talks to conclude a new enhanced agreement in March 2007. The 8th round of the negotiations is to be held in Kyiv June 2-4.
