Further EU integration should be aimed at Ukraine's participation in EU's single market - Zerkal

Ukraine's Deputy Foreign Minister for European Integration Olena Zerkal said this at a meeting with the ambassadors of the EU member states dealing with the issues of the Eastern Partnership, the press service of the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry reported.

"The deputy minister noted the importance of developing the format of deep cooperation between the EU and partner countries that concluded association agreements with the EU. According to the Ukrainian side, the further development of integration processes should be aimed at Ukraine's participation in the EU's single market, in particular in the field of digital communications and energy, as well as work on the elimination of non-tariff restrictions in trade [...] The deputy minister emphasized the need to determine the prospect of deepening economic integration for three associate partners after 2020," reads the report.

According to the press service, Zerkal also emphasized the need to intensify cooperation within the Eastern Partnership aimed at countering hybrid threats, in order to create a safe environment for holding upcoming elections.

In addition, foreign diplomats were also informed about concern regarding the construction of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline, which, according to Zerkal, is not a "business project," but an "instrument of political blackmail by the Russian Federation."

The ambassadors, in turn, reaffirmed Ukraine's leading role in the Eastern Partnership and noted the progress of Ukraine in implementing reforms and the effective introduction of the visa-free regime.