Malta officially backs the signing of the Association Agreement between Ukraine and the European Union and hopes that Kyiv will complete the implementation of judicial reform before the summit with the European Union in Vilnius, Maltese Prime Minister Joseph Muscat has said.
"We are in Ukraine today to declare our official support to Ukraine's aspiration for European integration and signing of the Association Agreement by Ukraine due in November," Muscat said on Wednesday at a meeting with Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych in Kyiv.
"We also know that some issues related to judicial reform and the judicial system of Ukraine have not been closed yet. However, we were told that the changes as yet unfulfilled will be made," he said, and added that he was optimistic about the issue, in particular because a new session of the Verkhovna Rada opened on September 3 and the parliament has enough time to implement all necessary reforms over several weeks.
"I'm sure that you will manage to do everything necessary by November," the Maltese premier said.
He also expressed the hope that the signing of a convention to avoid double taxation between Ukraine and Malta will contribute to further intensification of relations between the countries.
