Yeliseyev: Decision on biometric passports to have positive impact on talks on visa-free regime with EU

15:44, 03.10.2012 1 min read

Ukraine's representative to the EU Kostiantyn Yeliseyev has welcomed the adoption by the Verkhovna Rada of a law on the introduction of biometric passports.

"I welcome this decision. We finally did it, and I think it should have been done much earlier, because it is the core of an action plan on visa liberalization that we are currently implementing," he said at a meeting of the press club in Kyiv on Wednesday.

Yeliseyev said he hoped that after the adoption of this law it would be possible to present a report to the EU, according to which Ukraine will switch to the second implementation phase of the talks on a visa-free regime.

"However, I strongly condemn any attempts to politicize the issues of the visa regime. The cancelation of visas for Ukrainian citizens should not depend on the political climate of relations between Ukraine and the EU," the diplomat said.