Former Federal Chancellor of Austria Alfred Gusenbauer and former President of the European Commission Romano Prodi have said that cooperation is the right decision to take in relations between Ukraine and the European Union.
The politicians expressed this opinion in an article entitled "Ukraine Shows its Readiness to Cooperate with the EU. Europe Should be Proud of It," published in Austrian newspaper Die Presse.
"Since 1945 Europe has repeatedly practiced cooperation and a partnership policy with its neighbors, which was aimed at reinforcing European values and our view of democracy. Present attempts to isolate and marginalize Ukraine could lead to the opposite result. That's why we're sure that the right decision in EU-Ukrainian relations in any case is cooperation, but not isolation," Gusenbauer and Prodi said.
"On October 28, Ukraine will choose a new parliament. The country isn't ideal and that's why it was sharply criticized. However, we think that the cooperation policy would be better for European strategic interests, since it would be directed towards reforms and further extension, than an isolationist policy," the article read.
"At the same time Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych, despite his reputation as a person that longs for Russia, is reinforcing cooperation with NATO. One can see that now he is tending more to European integration, holding economic reforms, and signing the EU-Ukraine Association Agreement. Meanwhile, his critics point to the conviction and imprisonment of the ex-premier of Ukraine, Yulia Tymoshenko, wanting to make the [EU's] relations with Ukraine hinge on the release of Tymoshenko," the politicians said.
"The European Court of Human Rights got an appeal on this issue, which once again proves that Ukraine is ready to match European laws. Further confirmation of the close cooperation between EU and Kyiv can be seen in the recent adoption of a election law based on the recommendations of the Council of Europe. The new law was accepted by 80% of MPs and is supported both by the government and opposition, in particular the party of Yulia Tymoshenko," the European politicians said.
