Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko said here Monday that the future of his country lies in Europe and reiterated his country's willingness to join the European family.

He made the remarks while addressing the plenary session of the third summit meeting of the Council of Europe being held at the Royal Castle in Warsaw, Poland.

He assured the participants that Ukraine tried to introduce a model of European democracy, noting that Europe should not allow for emerging of new division lines on the continent.

The fact that the summit meeting took place east of the already non-existing Berlin Wall has a symbolic meaning, he said.

"We proceed from values and experience of the Council of Europe in Ukrainian policy. We will do our best to promote democracy in our country," he said.

The European integration will give a new chance for the Ukrainians, Yushchenko said.

He proposed to set up a European youth center for the Council of Europe affairs in Kiev and called on European leaders to guarantee the freedom of movement of European citizens in Europe.

"We introduced a temporary visa-free regime in Ukraine for European citizens and hope that the European Union would make the same step," the Ukrainian president added.

Yushchenko is among the European leaders or their representatives from the 46 member states of the Council of Europe. The two-day summit meeting is expected to reaffirm shared values and chart actions for coming years.

Source: Xinhua