Ukraine could agree on associate membership in Customs Union, says foreign minister

13:11, 29.01.2013 1 min read

Ukraine could cooperate with the Customs Union, formed by Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan, as an associate member or as part of individual programs, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Leonid Kozhara said.

"A key obstacle hampering negotiations with the Customs Union is the country's inability to participate in all processes without its full membership in the Customs Union," Kozhara said at a press conference of the European Business Association in Kyiv on Tuesday.

"In my opinion, it is also a topic for our talks. Why? The history of many economic entities shows that any country is able to find common ground, ways to cooperate with other economic associations, and it is possible to speak about the status of associate membership and partial membership in different statutory documents," the minister said.

Kyiv will also work to find common ground with the Customs Union during their negotiations, Kozhara said.