State Duma may change format of interparliamentary commission work if Ukraine signs association agreement with EU
MOSCOW. Oct 24 (Interfax) - The work format of the Russian-Ukrainian interparliamentary commission and the entire agenda of the two countries' parliaments may change if Ukraine signs an association agreement with the European Union, Mikhail Krotov, adviser to the State Duma speaker, said.
"If an association agreement is signed with the EU, the work of the interparliamentary commission will obviously have to be reformatted in some way and the agenda earlier proposed by the deputies of our parliaments will have to be reconsidered," Krotov told reporters on Thursday.
The parliamentarians are no doubt interested in the development of Russian-Ukrainian relations, but, if Ukraine signs association agreements with the EU, it may cause uncertainty in the powers of the Ukrainian public administration bodies.
Consequently, "Ukraine will partially lose its sovereignty, which will call into question the fulfillment of the existing interstate programs," Krotov said.
"The obligations following from the association agreement between Ukraine and the EU, which is now being discussed, hinder cooperation in a number of areas, from technical regulations to possible problems that may result from the reconsideration of the customs tariffs," he said.
According to earlier reports, Russian State Duma Speaker Sergei Naryshkin has postponed his visit to Ukraine to take part in a meeting of the interparliamentary commission on cooperation between the Ukrainian parliament and the Russian Federal Assembly. Naryshkin's working visit to Dnepropetrovsk was scheduled for October 31.
Ukraine is expected to sign an association agreement with the EU at the Eastern Partnership summit in Vilnius in late November 2013, if it fulfils the conditions set by the EU.