Brussels, 12/12/2013 (Agence Europe) - At the end of her visit to Ukraine on 11 December, High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Catherine Ashton stressed that signing the association agreement is the best way to tackle the short-term economic challenges. According to Ashton, Ukraine's President Viktor Yanukovych told her that he wanted to sign the agreement. She believed that “he should sign as soon as possible, because I think it's in the interest of Ukraine to do so”. “I believe that doing so swiftly is the best way to also address the short-term economic challenges”, she added.
Yanukovych is reportedly concerned about the price of gas, the issue of the poorest people, and also industries which are finding it difficult to compete and to develop. “All of those issues can in a sense be supported, can be helped by a combination of resources that can be given through European institutions, through other financial institutions and through countries that want to support your future. All of these things can be discussed - can be talked about and can be done in the framework of the agreement”, Ashton said. “The association agreement and free-trade agreement are part of a bigger plan - the plan that takes you, as a country, into a stronger economic place and, I believe, a stronger political place too”, she continued.
Ashton again stressed that it is not a question of money. “So this is not a decision about 'oh here's x amount of money if only you'll sign', we're not interested in that”, she said, adding that the EU, which has experienced similar challenges to those Ukraine is currently facing, knows what to do and how to support the country.
On 12 December, Commissioner for Enlargement and European Neighbourhood Policy Stefan Füle met Ukraine's First Deputy Prime Minister Serhiy Arbuzov to discuss the association agreement (EUROPE will return to this).
EU will continue to help for dialogue. Condemning the use of force against the peaceful demonstrators and reiterating the importance of dialogue, Ashton said that the Ukrainians “deserve better”. She emphasised that she had gone to Ukraine to offer the EU's help for the short term - “to help to find a way out of this crisis and to help to support the dialogue that's necessary to achieve that. And then to think about the longer-term future of this country.” “We will do whatever we can to support. It's also about working out how this dialogue is going to be done and how people are going to be brought together and if there's a way in which we can add value to that we will”, she said, reiterating that it is not up to the EU to develop a plan to find a way out of the crisis, but Ukraine. (CG/transl.fl)