Kiev Says Hopes To Sign FTA Agreement With Israel During Poroshenko's Visit

KIEV (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 22nd November, 2018) Ukrainian Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin said on Wednesday that Ukraine and Israel might sign a free trade area agreement during Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko's visit to Israel that might take place in the near future.

"The deal is almost finalized, the technical preparations are being completed. I think that in the near future the Ukrainian president will visit Israel and the agreement will be signed during that visit," Klimkin said as quoted by the Urkinform news agency.

According to Klimkin, Ukraine enjoyed inclusive partnership with Israel.

"We will not confine [our cooperation] to goods and will move forward with services, investment in order to indeed make this deal as effective as possible," Klimkin added.

In December 2015, Poroshenko announced following talks with the Israeli leadership the intention of Ukraine and Israel to sign a free trade agreement in the first half of 2016, however, the document has not been signed so far.

In June 2018, the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said following Klimkin's visit to Israel that the two parties have discussed the readiness of the free trade agreement.