Zerkal outlines Ukraine's priorities as part of Eastern Partnership initiative

Ukrainian Deputy Foreign Minister Olena Zerkul has taken part in a high-level event of the Eastern Partnership initiative in Brussels and outlined Ukraine's priorities, the press service of the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry has reported.

"The event was devoted to discussing the practical implementation of 20 achievements until 2020, which were approved at the Eastern Partnership Summit in November 2017, as well as the expectations of partners regarding further development of this initiative. During her speech Zerkal outlined Ukraine's priorities as part of the Eastern Partnership," reads the report. 

She said that these priorities included further strengthening of sectoral cooperation, more active involvement of regions in cooperation programs as part of the Eastern Partnership, as well as the expansion of opportunities for the education of young people and schoolchildren.

Zerkal also focused on energy security, particularly in the context of the gas crisis in early March that was caused by Russia's "gas blackmail."

Other priorities of Ukraine include interaction with the EU and the expansion of access for national producers to the EU market, she said.

The participants in the event presented a renewed multilateral structure of the Eastern Partnership initiative, which is intended to contribute more effectively to the achievement of tangible results for the population.

op