Press release, 6 February 2013
The Speaker of the Seimas Vydas Gedvilas discussed the topical issues of Ukrainian integration into the European Union at the meeting with Viktor Yanukovych, President of the Republic of Ukraine, during his official visit to Lithuania.
Viktor Yanukovych and Vydas Gedvilas.
Photographs by Olga Posaškova
Gedvilas commended the guest on one of the major achievements during the recent six years, i.e. on the completed negotiations over the EU-Ukraine Association Agreement and the initialled Agreement on the EU-Ukraine Association Agreement, including the Agreement on Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Agreement (DCFTA) referring to the Agreement as the most ambitious and largest agreement in scope of those concluded between the EU and the third country.
The Speaker of the Lithuanian Parliament expressed full support to the EU-Ukraine dialogue inducing the signing of the Association Agreement and the Free Trade Agreement. “Ukraine’s progress in three areas is a prerequisite for signing the Association Agreement: elimination of the shortcomings in the electoral process based on the OSCE recommendations, drafting of the Election Code fully in line with the European standards and in cooperation with the EU institutions, Council of Europe/Venice Commission, progress in addressing the justice issues and implementation of reforms set out in the jointly agreed Association Agenda”, Gedvilas said.
The Speaker of the Seimas notes that the Eastern Partnership Initiative is among the key priorities of the Lithuanian Presidency of the EU Council in 2013. “Vilnius Summit may start the new stage in the development of the EU-Ukraine relations. Signing of the Association Agreement, in particular, would finally settle the doubts about the direction of Ukraine’s euro-integration and its determination to implement the necessary political and economic reforms without any fear of likely difficulties”, Gedvilas emphasised, according to him Ukraine should maintain the dynamics of the undertaken reforms as only the outcomes of the reforms may ensure comprehensive support of the EU.
The Speaker of the Seimas drew attention to one more area of possible mutual cooperation: that is Ukraine’s Chairmanship of the OSCE. “We strongly support your activities especially in the areas that are relevant to Lithuania, such as, internet freedom, freedom of assembly and association, safety of journalists as well as resolution of ‘frozen’ conflicts within the OSCE region”, Gedvilas assured and reminded that Lithuania had completed its OSCE chairmanship mission a couple of years ago.
The meeting was also attended by the Members of the Board of the Seimas, the Chairman of the Committee on Foreign Affairs, the Chairman of the Seimas delegation to Assembly of Members of the Seimas, the Sejm and Senate and the Verkhovna Rada, and the Chairman of the Group for Inter-parliamentary Relations with Ukraine.
Saulė Eglė Trembo, Public Relations Unit (tel. +370 5 239 6203, e-mail: [email protected])
