Netherlands adopts decision to ratify Ukraine-EU association agreement: Envoy

ISLAMABAD, May 31 (APP): Ukrainian Ambassador to Pakistan Volodymyr Lakomov Wednesday said Senate of Netherlands has just adopted the decision to ratify the Ukraine-EU Association Agreement.
He said this path turned out to be long and much harder than we had imagined at the beginning of this process, a press release said.
Ukraine‘s President Petro Poroshenko said Kremlin, contaminated by chronic anti-Ukrainian sentiment, has been hindering our every step.
It has used all the available resources: money, propaganda, lies, mischief-making, intelligence structures and groups of influence.
Anti-European populist forces inside the European Union have been playing along using the existent bureaucratic hooks and making up new ones.
All this had a single purpose – prevent ratification of the agreement, bury it and, thus, terminate Ukraine’s heading on reunification with our European family.
He stressed that it is truly a reunification, for historically we have been a part of it. By the way, since the days of Ukrainian Prince Yaroslav the Wise and his daughter Anna Yaroslavna, whom Putin the other day tried to steal to Russian history in front of the whole Europe.
You all know that the process of ratification has been delayed in the Netherlands on the very homestretch. Our historic agreement faced a real threat.
Until the last moment, the entire diplomatic team of the country struggled for the stars on the European sky to be favorable for Ukraine. Our European partners supported and assisted us in this issue.
The first year of temporary application of the agreement demonstrated its high potential for Ukraine. Our export to the EU countries increased by almost a quarter (by 24.5%).
Ukraine is gradually integrating into the European policy in many spheres.
Entry into force of the Association Agreement, free trade area and visa-free regime with the EU that will start in exactly 10 days are crucially important on our way to the United Europe.
President of Ukraine emphasized that “We are strongly committed to reach our strategic goal. This is the guarantee of our freedom, independence and territorial integrity. Europe is our civilizational choice.”