European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso urged here on Monday Ukraine to achieve political stability and economic reforms so as to have a EU future.
At a joint press conference with visiting Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko, Barroso said that political stability based on democracy and the rule of law was key to allow Ukraine to speed up political and economic reform.
"We are confident that political stability can become a reality in the Ukraine," he said, adding "Ukraine is getting closer and closer to the European Union."
Barroso said Ukraine's WTO membership would bring the country and the 27-nation European bloc closer as they would sign a free-trade agreement.
Ukraine's WTO accession deal was confirmed at a meeting in Geneva last Friday.
The EC chief said that talks could begin in a couple of weeks on signing an EU-Ukraine free-trade agreement.
On her part, Tymoshenko, who is on her first visit to the EU as Ukrainian prime minister, said she expected talks on the agreement with the EU to be wrapped up by the end of the year.
She said that Ukraine currently enjoyed a sense of unity in the course of European integration.
"Indeed, the time has come for our relationship to take on an entirely new nature," said Tymoshenko.
She also told reporters that her country would not use its WTO membership as a lever against Russia.
"Joining the WTO is a useful tool for integrating Ukraine (in the world community)," but "not a tool to put pressure on any country," she said.
Source: Xinhua
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