Ukraine wants to receive recognition of the prospect of full membership in the European Union at the Eastern Partnership summit, which will be held on November 24 in Brussels, Deputy Foreign Minister of Ukraine for European Integration Olena Zerkal has said.
“The Eastern Partnership Summit, which will be held this week, is associated with special expectations in Ukraine, in particular, because of the history of the non-signing of the Association Agreement four years ago […] The main message of the EaP ‘more for more’ means more integration in the case of large reforms. It is generally understood as an unlimited opportunity to integrate into the EU, up to full membership, and we want recognition of this prospect in the documents of the EaP Summit,” Zerkal wrote on Facebook on November 21.
She recalled that the Eastern Partnership unites “very different countries.” “Three of the six countries in the region have concluded association agreements with the EU, two are part of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) and the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) with Russia, and two countries have suffered direct Russian aggression. So, it is impossible to find a consensus on the recognition of the obvious fact of Russia’s aggression against Ukraine in the declaration of the EaP summit,” Zerkal states with regret.
In her opinion, the only way out is to “soberly assess the interests of each other and get rid of excessive expectations.”
As reported with reference to two high-ranking European officials, the European Union will not raise the subject of the “Marshall Plan” for Ukraine at the Eastern Partnership summit to be held in Brussels on November 24, but is ready to offer Ukraine and other partners the access to the European External Investment Plan.
Another high-ranking official said the conflicts involving the countries participating in the Eastern Partnership will not be discussed at the summit.
