- Title: Ukraine feels let down by EU with visa deal elusive
- Date: 6th December 2016
- Summary: KIEV, UKRAINE (DECEMBER 6, 2016) (REUTERS) EXTERIOR OF UKRAINIAN FOREIGN MINISTRY BUILDING UKRAINIAN FLAG WAVING ON TOP OF BUILDING MAN ENTERING BUILDING UKRAINIAN, CRIMEAN TATAR AND EUROPEAN UNION (EU) FLAGS SIGN READING (English): "MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS OF UKRAINE" KIEV, UKRAINE (DECEMBER 2, 2016) (REUTERS) UKRAINIAN DEPUTY FOREIGN MINISTER, OLENA ZERKAL, WALKING ACROSS HER CABINET PICTURE OF UKRAINIAN COAT OF ARMS ON SHELF (SOUNDBITE) (Russian) UKRAINIAN DEPUTY FOREIGN MINISTER, OLENA ZERKAL, SAYING: "That's why in regards of visa-free regime, only pressure, constant pressure and the constant raising of this issue may force them to move forward. Maybe this is not diplomatic, this is probably not diplomatic: we see complete impotence in the European Union, and in the European institutions now. They feel complete frustration and uncertainty. And unfortunately, it's getting more and more visible every month." ZERKAL HANDS (SOUNDBITE) (Russian) UKRAINIAN DEPUTY FOREIGN MINISTER, OLENA ZERKAL, SAYING: "Both French and Germans have been telling me two weeks ahead of the summit that there would be no decision at the EU Committee of Permanent Representatives. When I asked if they believe that it is unfair, that we in many areas are discriminated against compared to others, the German Ambassador in Brussels told me 'life is not fair and you should cope with this.' CLOCK (SOUNDBITE) (Russian) UKRAINIAN DEPUTY FOREIGN MINISTER, OLENA ZERKAL, SAYING: "I think that there are many things that can be considered a betrayal. Everyone has his pros and cons when taking a decision and everyone has his own interests when taking this or that decision. The decision on Opal was also a betrayal of Ukraine." BOOK AND MAGAZINE ON SHELF KIEV, UKRAINE (DECEMBER 6, 2016) (REUTERS) TRAFFIC ON ROAD, UKRAINIAN AND EU FLAGS AT ROUNDABOUT UKRAINIAN AND EU FLAGS WAVING TRAFFIC ON ROAD (SOUNDBITE) (Ukrainian) KIEV RESIDENT, VOLODYMYR GORBATENKO, SAYING: "Well, probably we are not fully ready - war is going on in our country, our Crimea is annexed. I think Europe must be built in Ukraine, then we will move faster (towards the EU). Regarding visas - those who travelled before continue travelling; those who did not travel before, are not travelling. It is not so difficult to receive a visa if one wants to travel. We need to fight corruption, oligarchs must be put in place, then we will be a part of Europe and Europe won't be afraid of us. Europe is still afraid of us." (SOUNDBITE) (Ukrainian) KIEV RESIDENT, OLEKSANDR ZHYLTSOV, SAYING: "Ukraine is potentially a large source of migrants. Europe is afraid and I can understand it. Because they don't want another Syria scenario or something like this. It's normal for the Europeans. However, they promised (to grant visa-free travel) and it's not very polite of them (to break the promise)." (SOUNDBITE) (Ukrainian) KIEV RESIDENT, GALYNA, SAYING: "It's probably because our politicians do not want it (visa-free regime) that much. They continue travelling having their own visas and they think of themselves only and they already forgot about us. And they forgot about those boys who gave their lives for the visa-free regime." MAN STANDING IN FRONT OF MEMORIAL WALL TO UKRAINIAN SOLDIERS KILLED IN COUNTRY'S EAST ST. MICHAEL'S CATHEDRAL CLOCK ON CATHEDRAL'S TOWER MAN ENTERING CATHEDRAL TRAFFIC ON ROAD
- Embargoed: 21st December 2016 16:09
- Keywords: Ukraine EU visa-free travel Brussels France Germany
- Location: KIEV, UKRAINE
- City: KIEV, UKRAINE
- Country: Ukraine
- Reuters ID: LVA0015BQXJRB
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text:Ukraine feels let down by the European Union for not keeping to a promise to give its citizens visa-free travel in the bloc, senior Ukrainian official said.
The comments, made by Ukrainian Deputy Foreign Minister Olena Zerkal in interview with Reuters, were unusually outspoken and cut through the public displays of bonhomie shown at a Ukraine-EU summit in Brussels in November.
They are also a reflection of Ukraine's nervousness about being abandoned by Western backers in its stand-off with Russia over its 2014 annexation of Crimea and Moscow's support for separatist rebels in the Donbass region.
These worries have been heightened by events seen as playing into the Kremlin's hands, including the election of Donald Trump and the prospect of Francois Fillon, who favours thawing ties with the Kremlin, taking the French presidency next year.
Ukraine was promised visa liberalisation if it met a number of conditions, including steps to tackle corruption. But visa liberalisation has not materialised yet as the EU wants to put an emergency suspension mechanism in place first.
The mechanism would make it easier to suspend any visa-waivers if the bloc sees a sharp rise in overstays, asylum requests or readmission refusals from a non-EU state that has had travel rules relaxed.
European Council President Donald Tusk, who spoke Ukrainian and exchanged jokes with Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko at a joint news conference at the Nov. 24 summit, said he hoped the visa-free regime would be in place by the end of the year.
But Zerkal said the Europeans had shown little desire to implement visa-free access: "That's why in regards of visa-free regime, only pressure, constant pressure and the constant raising of this issue may force them to move forward. Maybe this is not diplomatic, this is probably not diplomatic: we see complete impotence in the European Union, and in the European institutions now. They feel complete frustration and uncertainty. And unfortunately, it's getting more and more visible every month."
Giving an example of the prevailing attitudes, she recounted an incident when, weeks before the summit, the Ukrainians were told by the French and Germans not to expect a positive decision.
"Both French and Germans have been telling me two weeks ahead of the summit that there would be no decision at the EU Committee of Permanent Representatives. When I asked if they believe that it is unfair, that we in many areas are discriminated against compared to others, the German Ambassador in Brussels told me 'life is not fair and you should cope with this," she said.
EU officials publicly say Ukraine and fellow aspirant Georgia have qualified for visa liberalisation, but behind the scenes Germany, France, Belgium and Italy appear to be stalling.
Representatives of EU states will discuss the issue again in Brussels on Wednesday.
Hugues Mingarelli, the EU ambassador to Ukraine, said Ukraine would be granted a visa-free regime as soon as the emergency suspension mechanism was agreed.
The EU and the United States propped up Ukraine with money and diplomatic support after the country plunged into turmoil in 2014 and a new, Western-backed leadership took charge.
But since then, Ukraine's international supporters have become increasingly irked by what they see as Kiev's patchy progress in tackling corruption and modernising the economy. Some EU member states want sanctions on Russia lifted.
Ukraine, in turn, has its own grievances. Kiev has bristled at signs of a European rapprochement with Russia.
It also resents being told to do more to uphold its side of the Minsk peace process, brokered between Germany, France, Russia and Ukraine, to end the separatist violence in eastern Ukraine, saying the onus is on Russia as the "aggressor" nation.
The Maidan street protests in 2013/2014 were sparked by Ukraine's Kremlin-backed leader reneging on a plan to sign a political and trade agreement with the EU. But the fate of that deal, which was later signed, is now uncertain after Dutch voters rejected it in a referendum in April.
"I think that there are many things that can be considered a betrayal. Everyone has his pros and cons when taking a decision and everyone has his own interests when taking this or that decision. The decision on Opal was also a betrayal of Ukraine," Zerkal said, when asked if the visa issue constituted a betrayal.
"The decision on Opal was also a betrayal of Ukraine," she said, referring to the European Commission allowing Russia's Gazprom to use the Opal pipeline in Germany, opening the way to bypass Ukraine as a gas transit route. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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