Yulia Tymoshenko: Association Agreement with EU will be signed this year

Presidential candidate and current Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko announced that over the course of the year an Association Agreement will be signed between Ukraine and the European Union.

"During the year I’m setting the task of signing an agreement on our political association with the European Union. And second, I’m convinced that we’ll also construct the needed preconditions for the creation of a free trade agreement between Ukraine and Europe," announced Yulia Tymoshenko at a press conference today.

Yulia Tymoshenko stated that in five years as being president she’ll put forth maximum effort to ensure Ukraine’s membership to the EU. "I will do everything so that in this period, as long as I’m president, Ukraine joins the European Union," she announced.

To achieve this goal, Yulia Tymoshenko identified five priorities: removing oligarchs from power, ensuring sustainable human development, energy independence for Ukraine, reforming medicine, education and research as well as 'creating Europe in Ukraine.'

"I believe that correctly chosen priorities, properly mobilized work could actually change the situation," concluded Yulia Tymoshenko

In an earlier interview, the Prime Minister announced that European Union membership should be Ukraine’s top priority.

"My main principle in the foreign policy of Ukraine is very concise: “EU-YES”. We are an organic, historic, geographic and cultural part of Europe. We don’t need to return to Europe because mentally we never left it. Ukraine is Europe, and Europe must count this fact," Yulia Tymoshenko said.

According to her, the issue of Ukraine’s full integration with European structures is only a matter of time. "And the time to measure this isn’t in the decades. I think that Ukraine very quicikly will become a full-fledged member of the European Union," Yulia Tymoshenko said convincingly.