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ARMENIA, GEORGIA, MOLDOVA MAY SIGN TRADE PACTS WITH EU NEXT YEAR - LITHUANIAN FORMIN
Baltic News Service / - BNS
July 23, 2013 Tuesday 7:16 AM EET
VILNIUS, Jul 23, BNS - Armenia, Georgia and Moldova may this year
initial and next year sign free trade agreements with the European
Union, Lithuanian Minister of Foreign Affairs Linas Linkevicius says.
In his words, the initialing, or preliminary approval of a text, is
linked with the upcoming EU Eastern Partnership Summit in Vilnius
in November, and the signing could take place during the term of
the incumbent European Commission, which ends in the second half of
next year.
Georgia finalized talks on a free trade agreement on Monday. Moldova
did the same earlier, and Armenia hopes to finalize free trade talks
over the upcoming days.
"We can hope for the initialing of free trade agreements with Moldova,
Georgia and, perhaps, Armenia, by the start of the summit in Vilnius.
We would then seek the signature as soon as possible, and the best
thing would be to do this during the term of this European Commission,"
Linkevicius told BNS by phone from Brussels late on Monday.
The three above-mentioned countries as well as Azerbaijan, Belarus
and Ukraine are taking part in the EU Eastern Partnership program
aimed at bringing the eastern post-Soviet neighbors closer to the
EU. Ministers from the six countries discussed the program with EU
counterparts in Brussels on Monday.
As the Vilnius summit is approaching, major attention is being given
to Ukraine that hopes to sign a free trade and association agreement
during the meeting. By then, the West want Ukraine to prevent
"selective justice", a term used to describe opposition persecution
and the imprisonment of ex-Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko.
Lithuania is holding the presidency of the EU Council in the second
half of this year.
Baltic News Service / - BNS
July 23, 2013 Tuesday 7:16 AM EET
VILNIUS, Jul 23, BNS - Armenia, Georgia and Moldova may this year
initial and next year sign free trade agreements with the European
Union, Lithuanian Minister of Foreign Affairs Linas Linkevicius says.
In his words, the initialing, or preliminary approval of a text, is
linked with the upcoming EU Eastern Partnership Summit in Vilnius
in November, and the signing could take place during the term of
the incumbent European Commission, which ends in the second half of
next year.
Georgia finalized talks on a free trade agreement on Monday. Moldova
did the same earlier, and Armenia hopes to finalize free trade talks
over the upcoming days.
"We can hope for the initialing of free trade agreements with Moldova,
Georgia and, perhaps, Armenia, by the start of the summit in Vilnius.
We would then seek the signature as soon as possible, and the best
thing would be to do this during the term of this European Commission,"
Linkevicius told BNS by phone from Brussels late on Monday.
The three above-mentioned countries as well as Azerbaijan, Belarus
and Ukraine are taking part in the EU Eastern Partnership program
aimed at bringing the eastern post-Soviet neighbors closer to the
EU. Ministers from the six countries discussed the program with EU
counterparts in Brussels on Monday.
As the Vilnius summit is approaching, major attention is being given
to Ukraine that hopes to sign a free trade and association agreement
during the meeting. By then, the West want Ukraine to prevent
"selective justice", a term used to describe opposition persecution
and the imprisonment of ex-Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko.
Lithuania is holding the presidency of the EU Council in the second
half of this year.