Ukraine not violating Friendship Treaty with Russia by signing association deal with EU - Foreign Ministry
KYIV. Oct 29 (Interfax) - The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry views statements by Russian politicians that, by signing an association agreement with the EU, Ukraine would violate some provisions of the Friendship and Cooperation Treaty with Russia as groundless.
"I can say that such statements are groundless. Ukraine does not violate this treaty in any way," Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesman Yevhen Perebyinis said at a news conference in Kyiv on Tuesday.
He admitted that some of Russian presidential adviser Sergei Glazyev's statements are difficult to comment on and "possibly should not be commented on."
"I can say that we are surprised by his insistent attempts to impose some disastrous and perhaps his own scenarios of development of Ukrainian-Russian relations on the citizens of our countries. I would call him the greatest pessimist as concerns the development of Ukrainian-Russian relations," he said.
Glazyev said earlier on Rossiya-24 news television channel that the association agreement Ukraine is preparing to sign with the EU will not be signed as it goes against "everything, including Ukraine's economic interests and our spiritual-historic tradition, and it is also disadvantageous to Europe, to us, to Belarus and to Kazakhstan."
Glazyev said also that, by initialing this agreement, Ukraine has already violated the Friendship Treaty, which he called the foundation of Russian-Ukrainian relations.
