17:28 23.10.2012

Blair: EU should lend a hand to Ukraine

1 min read
Blair: EU should lend a hand to Ukraine

Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair has said he sees Ukraine as a member of the European Union in future, but believes that Kyiv should conduct preparatory work in this direction.

"The EU should lend a hand to Ukraine, and Ukraine's future is really in the EU... Ukraine should conduct preparatory work and decide how civil society should function, how it should be harmoniously reformed so that it can meet the requirements of the European Union," he said at a meeting with students in Dnipropetrovsk on Tuesday.

He said Ukraine should strengthen its relations with both the West and the East.

"The prospect of the EU is important to Ukraine. Ukraine's fate will be decided in the Council of Europe, rather than on the football pitch. I believe that relations are important to you there and there. This will increase your strength, and the prospect of the EU is very important to you," the ex-premier said.

Blair also said that Ukraine should maintain strong relations in the south, particularly with Turkey, and in the Middle East.

"It would be nice if all of the unions are preserved," he said.

AD
AD
AD
AD
AD