Ukraine, Canada Intend to Relax Visa Requirements

(Interfax-Ukraine) The Minister for Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko and his counterpart from Canada Lawrence Cannon have said that the agreement relaxing visa requirements between Ukraine and Canada should be signed. This opinion was expressed at a meeting held on the sidelines of the Ukraine-NATO commission’s meeting in Brussels, the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry’s press service reported on Dec. 3.

Officials paid separate attention to the issue of the formation of a free trade zone between the two states. Cannon also reaffirmed a firm support to Ukraine’s efforts aimed at the country’s rapprochement with the European Union and NATO.

At a previous meeting on Nov. 13, Minister Poroshenko met with the Ambassador of Canada to Ukraine H. E. Daniel Caron, discussing ways of further developing the relations of Special Partnership between Ukraine and Canada, as well as current matters on the bilateral agenda and cooperation of the two countries on the international arena, reported the Embassy of Ukraine in Canada. The two sides expressed mutual readiness to work on practical implementation of the provisions of the Priorities for Canada-Ukraine Relations (Road Map) signed in September, 2009 within the framework of the 64^th Session of the United Nations General Assembly. 

At the November meeting, officials also discussed the mechanisms of facilitating the development of trade, economic and investment cooperation between the two countries, such as the prospects of concluding a Free Trade Agreement between Ukraine and Canada.

The meeting parties underlined the dynamic bilateral political dialogue and the productive implementation of the agreements reached during the visits of the President of Ukraine Victor Yushchenko to Canada (May 2008) and the Governor-General of Canada Michalle Jean to Ukraine (April 2009).