Foreign Minister of Ukraine Leonid Kozhara has said the signing of the Association Agreement between Ukraine and the European Union will open new opportunities for the development of bilateral trade-economic relations with Bulgaria and other neighbors of Ukraine that are the members of the European Union.

"The Association and FTA Agreements with the EU open up additional opportunities for Ukraine and Bulgaria for the development of bilateral relations in the trade-economic sphere," he said during the joint press conference with Foreign Minister of Bulgaria Kristian Vigenin in Kyiv on Friday.

If the Association Agreement with the EU is signed, all the barriers in the trade both in terms of tariffs, as well as non-tariff character, will be eliminated, the minister said.

"Our closest friends, such as Bulgaria, will derive greater benefits from the Free Trade Area of Ukraine with the European Union than other European states, since the products of Bulgarian producers are well-known to Ukrainian consumers, they won't have to apply great effort in the advertisement and promotion of their goods," Kozhara said.

He thanked to his Bulgarian counterpart for the sincere support Sofia gave Ukraine in its preparations for signing the Association Agreement with the EU.