Ukraine's economic interests should be a foreign policy priority, Prime Minister Mykola Azarov has said.

"Economic priorities should be a top priority in our foreign policy. I'd like you to realize this," he said at a meeting with the heads of Ukraine's diplomatic missions abroad in Kyiv on Tuesday.

Azarov said that the country should form a comprehensive vision of the "economization" of foreign policy activity and systemically work on the creation in Ukraine of a favorable environment for investors, and support domestic producers on world markets.

He said that in order to strengthen Ukraine's economic position, it is very important to enhance the country's participation in the processes of international economic integration and the formation of promoting trade regimes between Ukraine and partner countries.

"The government expects Ukrainian diplomats to actively work in traditional and new directions of foreign economic activity," he said.

Among the most important priorities, he named the signing of the association agreement and the creation of a free trade area between Ukraine and the EU, taking measures for the functioning of the free trade agreement with CIS countries, cooperation with the Eurasian Economic Commission, and the creation of free trade areas with Turkey, Israel, Canada, Lebanon and Morocco.