Ukraine, thanks to its economic potential, could help the EU emerge from crisis, Ukrainian First Deputy Prime Minister Valeriy Khoroshkovsky said in an interview with PAP before his visit to Poland to attend the 2012 Wroclaw Global Forum.

"I am convinced that Ukraine could help the EU emerge from crisis. Investments that will come to us will be reliably protected and bring profits. Investors with whom I spoke complain about our laws and they want another interpretation by regulatory agencies, but, in general, all of them say that their investments generate profits," he said.

Khoroshkovsky explained that Kyiv had recently made steps to bring Ukrainian legislation into line with European standards, conducting judicial reform, changing the customs and criminal codes, and improving legislation in the energy sector. He believes that this will help attract foreign investors.

He said that on Ukraine's road to European integration, Europe should not regard it only through the prism of the case of former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko. "In reality, what is happening in Ukraine's domestic policy and what our government, parliament and president are doing cover a much wider range of problems than exclusively the question of Tymoshenko," Khoroshkovsky said.

The first deputy prime minister said that the reforms that are currently being conducted in Ukraine are rapidly bringing it to the standards that exist in EU countries. "In Wroclaw, I will try to inform everybody about the general situation, rather than only this single critical point, which is the case of Tymoshenko," he said.

The politician also said that the Ukrainian authorities should hold transparent and fair elections this autumn and that a guarantee of this should be the presence of a large number of international observers. Khoroshkovsky said that they could come to Ukraine now and monitor the election process: check the access of parties to the media, control relations between political parties and the Central Election Commission. "I am confident that no one is interested in the falsification of election results. It is more important that there be no provocations and no allegations about unfair elections before their completion, which are already being made now," he said.

According to Khoroshkovsky, European integration is a strategic issue for Kyiv and for Brussels. "The problems that impede the development of relations between the parties should be resolved exclusively in the legal field. It is not the political will of one person or a group of persons. It is a matter of law," he said.

In this context, the politician relies on the assistance of Poland. "Poland has been and remains a friend of Ukraine, and not only during the forum in Wroclaw, but also as part of bilateral meetings, I'm planning to discuss important issues for both countries. We count on Poland's assistance. The European Football Championship, which is co-hosted by our countries, can only strengthen good traditions in our relations," he said.

While commenting on Ukrainian-Russian gas relations, Khoroshkovsky said that Ukraine wants to energy supply sources. "We have signed two important contracts - with Shell and Chevron regarding gas production on the Black Sea shelf. Also, we are looking for the possibility of buying gas on the spot market," the official said. He said that Russia is satisfied with the current agreement with Ukraine, so it does not accept the changes. Instead, the only way to review the document is to limit imports of Russian natural gas to Ukraine and replace it with natural gas from other sources.

Khoroshkovsky will take part in the 2012 Wroclaw Global Forum, which will be held from May 31 to June 2. In particular, he will participate in a panel discussion on the future of the Eastern Partnership and hold a number of bilateral meetings.

Ukrinform