The signing of the economic chapter of the Association Agreement between Ukraine-EU will be a new stage in the life of the country, and the Czech Republic is ready to promote this step, Foreign Affairs Minister of Czech Republic Lubomir Zaoralek has said.

The signing of the Free Trade Area Agreement will mark the beginning of a challenge, he said, adding that the way Ukraine handles it depends not just on politicians, but on the people as well.

The foreign minister said that the European Union supports the reforms carried in Ukraine. Even in April, at the EU session, the Czech Republic supported the cancellation of tax on imports of Ukrainian goods, he said during his visit to Dnipropetrovsk on Thursday.

Zaoralek said that the further economic cooperation of Czech Republic with Dnipropetrovsk region is now difficult because of the unstable situation in the east of Ukraine.

Before the political crisis and events in Crimea unfolded, our exchange in trade was growing, Ukraine was one of the biggest trade partners of the Czech Republic, he said. The events of the last months showed that our economic relations have worsened - many Czech entrepreneurs have had to leave Ukraine because of the instability that is now seen in the country, which is not a favorable factor for the development of economic relations, Zaoralek said.

Meanwhile, he underscored that Czech Republic was prepared to render aid to Ukraine, including in Dnipropetrovsk region, to implement Ukraine's European integration process. Specialists that could advise Ukraine concerning the integration of the various branches of Dnipropetrovsk region's life into the European space could be sent to the region.

The minister also said that today Europe sees the situation in Ukraine as not just unstable, but as one that threatens human life. This fact, according to him, doesn't favor the organization of economic relations and their return to the level seen before the crisis.