Ukrainian President Urges Parliament To Accelerate Implementation Of EU Association Deal

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko urged the parliament on Thursday to accelerate the implementation of the association agreement with the European Union and the country's European integration.

KIEV (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 20th September, 2018) Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko urged the parliament on Thursday to accelerate the implementation of the association agreement with the European Union and the country's European integration.

"No one denies our European identity anymore. Over the next year, I plan to put into practice the implementation of my initiatives to integrate Ukraine into the digital joint market, the energy union, as well as to deepen cooperation in the customs sphere. But to move forward, first of all, we need to implement the association agreement from the first to the last letter," Poroshenko said in an annual address to the Ukrainian parliament.

Poroshenko believes that the speed of implementation of the association agreement with the European Union is unsatisfactory.

He added that the EU's share in Ukraine's exports was around 42-43 percent, which helped to compensate for the loss of trade with Russia. At the same time, the president called for looking for new markets.

Kiev is aspiring to enhance ties with the European Union and NATO. In 2014, Ukraine dropped its non-aligned status, opening the door for potential NATO membership, and also signed the Association Agreement with the European Union. The agreement envisaged the establishment of the Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area between Kiev and the bloc.

NATO and EU officials have repeatedly stressed that Ukraine needed to implement a wide range of reforms before it could pursue membership in either bloc.