Lavrov: Russia Never Questioned Ukraine’s Right for Partnership with EU
TEHRAN (Tasnim) - Moscow never put Kiev’s right to develop closer ties with the EU into doubt, it only wanted to escape risks that Ukraine’s economic integration into the European Union might have brought about, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said.
“I stress this: we never questioned Ukraine’s right to develop partnership with the EU,” Lavrov told the Verdens Gang (VG) Norwegian newspaper, when he was asked about what he thought of Ukraine’s leadership seeking an agreement with the EU.
“We only want to make sure that it does not inflict damage on Russia, its Customs Union partners or any members of the CIS (Commonwealth of Independent States) free trade zone, including Ukraine,” the minister added.
Lavrov explained the economic agreement between the EU and Ukraine might result in duty-free imports of European goods into Russia and that had to be prevented, RT reported.
He said at the moment the most important thing for Ukraine was overcoming “the most acute crisis.”
“It’s now necessary to support fledgling ties between Kiev and People’s Republics of Lugansk and Donetsk and then to start a comprehensive political dialogue with the purpose of finding ways for reaching national accord and conducting constitutional reform with the participation of all regions and political forces,” Lavrov said.
Lavrov has also touched upon the threat of extremism, saying that the ISIL group was contributing to accumulation of “chaos and anarchy elements in world affairs.”
