16/06/2009 (Agence Europe) - The EU-Ukraine Association Council, meeting in Luxembourg on 16 June in the presence of Ukrainian Prime Minister Julia Timoshenko welcomed the “significant progress” made over the course of the last few months in talks on an association agreement. Both sides expressed hope that the talks could be closed “as soon as possible”. The visa dialogue, launched in October 2008, had also made progress, says the joint press release adopted by the Association Council. The EU once again said that abolishing the visa requirement for Ukrainian citizens was a “long-term goal whose realisation depended on Ukraine's progress in the implementation of relevant reforms”. The EU also stressed that the forthcoming presidential elections in Ukraine should comply with international standards. (H.B./transl.rt)