I arrived in Kyiv on November 2 to pay an official visit which I think is very important for a number of reasons. In the past few years, Ukraine has undergone serious transformations in all fields, and the oncoming presidential elections will be a drastic step forward on the way to the final destination of this process. Besides, Spain will hold the European Union presidency in the first six months of 2010 and, undoubtedly, relations with Ukraine will reach a new level during that period.
Being an important part of Europe, Ukraine is a country that has a rich history and cultural heritage. But its main wealth is highly-skilled people, which is an indispensable condition for this country to achieve the maximum potential of development.
We must admit that in the years of independence Ukraine has made a serious effort to implement important political and economic reforms and, at the same time, it has strengthened itself as an independent state. It has gone down a difficulties-ridden path from the old system to the democratic one with a market economy.
Speaking of today, the acute economic crisis has touched all countries, including Ukraine and Spain. We must use this opportunity to carry out all the necessary radical reforms and emerge stronger from this abyss. I am sure Ukraine will be marching forward on the path of transformations and will very soon embark on the road of sustainable economic development.
I would like Spain and Ukraine to develop bilateral relations as much as possible on the basis of common democratic values, which is the best groundwork for our rapprochement in all fields.
It is necessary to boost political relations between Spain and Ukraine. With this in view and on the occasion of my visit, Ukraine and Spain will sign a protocol on a political dialogue that will promote cooperation between the two countries in all sectors.
We should strengthen economic and commercial ties which have not yet reached the maximum potential of exchanges that would correspond to the high level of our economies. We should make efforts that Ukrainian and Spanish businesses come to know more about one another. There are Spanish leading businesses in the key sectors in which Ukraine has launched high-profile projects (energy, infrastructure, tourism).
In the field of culture, we should increase the exchange of information. I think culture can serve as a uniting axis in the relations between the two countries. For this reason, the Spanish Embassy in Ukraine launches a multifaceted program of cultural events every year, and I hope that we will soon open the Cervantes Institute in Kyiv, which will be able to satisfy the great demand for learning the Spanish language and culture in this country.
I am also very willing to make
a personal contribution to the strengthening of relations between Ukraine and the European Union. Despite all the internal changes in the European Union which is going to see the Lisbon Agreement come into force, interest in close cooperation with Ukraine should not diminish but, on the contrary, increase.
The negotiations on the Treaty of Association between Ukraine and the European Union have already made significant progress. A major breakthrough was made in the latest round of the negotiations not only in the political part but also about the Free Trade Area Agreement, an integral part of the Association Treaty. We still have some unsolved problems, especially of technical nature, but we hope to expect very soon a new status of relations between Ukraine and the European Union. This will help the Ukrainian economy move towards the European Union economies and will also allow our countries to come closer politically, harmonize our relations in the legislative sphere, and intensify cooperation in the field of foreign policy and security.
During the Spanish presidency in the European Union, we also hope to strengthen Eastern Partnership as an effective instrument of bilateral and multilateral cooperation, which will allow relations between the European Union and its eastern neighbors to be more intensive and agreeable.
We should also develop as much as possible the simplified visa treatment agreement in order to speed up issuing visas and strengthen contacts but, at the same time, we should jointly combat illegal emigration and white slave trade. To this end, Spain and Ukraine signed on May 12 the migration regulation agreement which will make it possible to streamline migration flows and make them safer. We should also continue the visa dialogue from the viewpoint of long-term prospects.
We highly appreciate Ukraine’s efforts in peacekeeping operations in conjunction with the European Union and NATO. Besides, we have evinced great interest in Ukraine’s proposal on combating piracy. This is a serious problem from which both of our countries suffer, and it is important to try to make joint decisions for a more effective struggle against piracy.
I must say that we highly appreciate Ukraine’s cooperation in the Group of Friends of the Civilizations Alliance, and we would like very much to develop our cooperation with respect to this United Nations initiative, to which Ukraine can make a sizable contribution.
