Azarov complains about 'EU intransigence'

15:49, 27.12.2013 1 min read

Kyiv has not received an equivalent offer from Brussels over the whole period of negotiations between Ukraine and the European Union on an Association Agreement, Prime Minister Mykola Azarov has said.

"Eight years have passed since 2005, and we still have not received an equivalent offer," he said on the Exam for the Authorities program on the First National TV Channel on Friday.

Azarov said that in 2005 Ukraine made an unprecedented step in the history of global diplomacy by unilaterally cancelling visa requirements for EU citizens, which led to financial losses due to the current visa fees.

"But we have lost respect for ourselves, because no one in this world accepts unilateral concessions," Azarov said.

He also criticized the EU's conditions put forward in relation to the introduction of the visa-free regime, which concern an anti-discrimination law and the introduction of biometric passports.

"Even now, at this stage, after many years of negotiations, they ask us to pass the law on equality of sexual minorities," Azarov said.