Today at 01:00
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy, President of the European Council Charles Michel and President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen adopted a statement following the 23rd Ukraine-EU summit in Kyiv.
This is reported by UA with reference to the Office of the President of Ukraine.
The EU has reaffirmed its unwavering support and dedication to the independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine within its internationally recognized borders.
The parties have recognized Ukraine’s European aspirations and welcomed its European choice, as enshrined in the Association Agreement.
“We recognized the achievements to date and the importance of further strengthening the Eastern Partnership based on common values and the principles of differentiation, inclusiveness and joint ownership and recalled the 2017 Eastern Partnership Summit declaration in this regard. We took good note of the initiative of the three associated partners aiming at increased coordination between them and enhanced cooperation between the three associated partners and the EU. We looked forward to the 6th Eastern Partnership Summit in 2021, which should endorse ambitious long-term policy objectives and the next generation of after2020 priorities” – the statement says.
It is also noted that the € 190 million aid package and the € 1.2 billion macro-financial assistance program, which the EU has mobilized for Ukraine to overcome the COVID-19 pandemic and its socio-economic consequences, significantly exceed the amount of assistance from the EU to any other partner.
In addition, the significant progress achieved by Ukraine in the reform process was noted. The parties welcome the historic opening of the agricultural land market in the country.
We recognised the substantial progress made by Ukraine in its reform process and agreed on the need to further enhance these efforts.
“We reaffirmed that comprehensive and consistent implementation of judicial reform remains vital to strengthen Ukraine’s resilience and future success. In this context, we welcomed the adoption of amendments to the laws of Ukraine “On the High Council of Justice” and “On the Judicial System and the Status of Judges”, which are crucial for the restoration of the work of the High Qualification Commission of Judges of Ukraine. We emphasized the need to quickly implement these reforms and reform the Constitutional Court” – the statement says.
The parties emphasized the importance of the security sector reform, in particular the adoption of the law on the Security Service of Ukraine.
The holding of the first cyber dialogue between Ukraine and the EU on June 3, 2021, the successful application of the visa-free regime for Ukrainian citizens is also welcomed.
“We welcomed the fulfilment of the conditions of the extraordinary EU Macro-Financial Assistance Program for Ukraine and took note of the decision to disburse its second tranche in the amount of EUR 600 million. We underline the importance of continuing to pursue the related reforms. We reaffirmed the emphasis on maintaining Ukraine’s macro-economic stability, and keeping the IMF commitments” – the statement says.
The statement reaffirms its strong condemnation of the apparent violation of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine as a result of acts of aggression by the Russian armed forces, starting in February 2014. The parties recognize and continue to condemn the occupation by Russia of the Ukrainian Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol, the strengthening of the militarization of the peninsula; serious deterioration of the human rights situation there, as well as restrictions on the freedom of Ukrainian citizens to enter and leave the Crimean peninsula.
The parties continue to call on Russia to ensure unhindered and free passage to and from the Sea of Azov in accordance with international law, and also agreed on the importance of coordinating international efforts to strengthen resilience to growing threats to security and stability in the Black Sea region.
In addition, the parties support the efforts of the Normandy format, the Trilateral Contact Group, as well as the OSCE, including its Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine.
Read also: Ukraine and the European Union have signed a Common Aviation Area Agreement
