European Integration Policy by the Ukraine isn’t Subject to any Change: Anatoliy Kinakh
Anatoliy Kinakh, former Prime Minister of the Ukraine, president of the ULIE (The Ukrainian League of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs), Verkhovna Rada MP, considers that the Ukraine had no alternative for European integration. In an interview with 168.am, replying to the question whether decision by the Ukraine was right, when it refused integration with EEU and chose the EU, A.Kinach stated that the Ukraine has been economically integrated with the European Union before.
“During those tragic events the EU share in the Ukraine’s trade turnover comprised 32%, in case, when Russia’s share comprises only 8%. In fact, we have already been integrated with the EU. It’s not being touched upon that the EU will obstacle deepening of the Ukraine’s cooperation to the West, just the contrary, European integration is a stimuli for modernization, shift to international and European standards. At that time the Ukraine and Russia were already members of World Trade Organization (WTO), and the EU standards are those of WTO, and there are no any contrasts here. The issue was rather politicized and we saw, how much misfortune it brought to. European integration policy by the Ukraine isn’t subject to changes, however, we’ll do our best to improve our relations with our neighbors, including with the West as well,” A.Kinakh said.
According to him the Ukraine passes through a hard way, major demand of those struggled in Maidan and endangered their lives, is rising quality of authorities and the state, hard struggle against corruption, provision of civil right to independently decide their present and future, “These issues are rather actual nowadays as well. Undoubtedly, war implications in Donbass are very serious, loss of lots of people is unprecedented, and loss of human life is a disaster. However, we are aimed at peaceful, diplomatic settlement of issues.
We will never agree that our territorial integrity was an issue of trade, and under these hard conditions Ukrainian people are developing, and people, despite the language they speak, the place they live, realize that there is a fatherland, which should be protected and supported, and that they should unite. This is a very crucial process.
There is no military solution regarding Crimea issue, so that we were united with the international community and settled that issue democratically. Crimea should be mandatorily returned, Crimea is a part of our fatherland, moreover, annexation of the Crimea was accompanied by rough violations of international accords and standards, started from Budapest memorandum, signing of which and withdrawing nuclear weapon, Ukraine obtained clear guarantees of territorial integrity.”
Touching upon cooperation with Armenia, A.Kinakh stated that issues of utmost importance are being discussed: how to improve bilateral cooperation, trade turnover, investments under global processes, from serious competition in international market, up to socio-political developments both in Europe and Asia.
He highlighted, that under these conditions efforts were unified on the basis of authorities, business dialogue, he also stressed that the two face rather similar problems and it’s important that they didn’t lose strategic management of industrial and innovative development, so that they didn’t turn to a source of raw materials or a supplier of cheap workforce for developed countries, “These are complex issues, settlement of which will provide the opportunity for our countries to hold a worthy place in the developed world.”
A.Kinakh expressed his concern on that fact, that last year volumes of trade turnover between Armenia and Ukraine have decreased by about 38%, “It’s too much, and we should establish bilateral cooperation between our Ukrainian and Armenian partners to improve the situation. We are ready to solve a range of administrative issues, control investment programs and add our presence in Armenia’s economy. We closely work with Armenia in the field of agricultural production recycling, cooperation in the fields of metallurgy, chemical production is too important for us, we are ready to work in the field of machinery. Ukraine has powerful potential in the fields of machinery, aviation and engineering, towards establishment of substructures. On account of the fact that we all are heirs of the same country—the USSR, and have common problems modernization in the main fields is required. These are primary issues, which governments should be targeted at. We tend to increase bilateral cooperation.”
To our observation that recently Armenia prohibited import of meat from Ukraine, A.Kinakh replied that likewise issues emerge not only between our countries, every country should take care of health of its citizens, protect its consumer rights. “Unfortunately, there are cases, when we prohibit import of beef from Argentina, in Ukraine as well, some producers violate defined norms. It’s important that it was peaceful, impartial, and in accordance with existent processes in international trade. I’m sure, by those methods any issue may be settled.”
A.Kinakh stated that works are being implemented to concord EEU criteria with those of the EU, “Kazakhstan, Russia are WTO members, Belarus is about to finalize its membership process, and concordance with the EU criteria is a guarantee, that the product will be competitive in international market,” he said.
By Gayane Khachatryan
