Ukrainian Foreign Ministry: Association with EU to have positive consequences for trade with Russia
2013-09-11 10:31:19
The signing of the Association Agreement, including the creation of a deep and comprehensive free trade area, between Ukraine and the EU is not intended to harm relations with Russia, but, vice versa, it will have positive consequences for trade relations and investment cooperation between Ukraine and Russia.
Director of the Information Policy Department of the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry Yevhen Perebyinis announced this at a briefing in Kyiv on Tuesday, a Ukrinform reporter said.
"Our actual calculations indicate that trade liberalization between Ukraine and the European Union will have positive consequences for trade relations and investment cooperation between Ukraine and the Russian Federation," he said.
The diplomat noted that Kyiv proceeds from the fact that the EU is a key trading partner for Russia. Russia's trade with the EU accounts for 50% of its gross turnover, he added.
"Russia itself is now actively working on the cancellation of customs, administrative and technical barriers with the EU," he said. In particular, the diplomat added, Russian President Vladimir Putin stressed the need to remove such barriers during the Russia-EU summit in June this year. "Thus, Ukraine's efforts to strengthen the vector of economic integration with the EU are quite compatible with the actions of the Russian side in the European direction," Perebyinis said.
He also expressed confidence that the abuse of re-exports in trade with the member countries of the Customs Union is impossible. He said that in order to prevent unauthorized re-exports of goods in Ukraine, according to the rules of the World Trade Organization, it is envisaged to use certificates of origin and take special restrictive measures in case of the detection of violations. In addition, the diplomat said, attempts to abuse re-exports can be eliminated by signing special agreements on the rules of origin.
Perebyinis also said that the creation of a free trade area with the EU would improve the business climate in Ukraine, which will be a positive factor for Russian investors doing business in Ukraine.
As reported, Russian presidential adviser Sergei Glazyev said in an interview with the Echo of Moscow radio station on September 7 that relations between Ukraine and Russia in the trade sphere could be jeopardized if Ukraine signs the Association Agreement with the European Union.