Constructive talks with Ukraine

“Prime Minister Azarov’s visit has been a good opportunity to engage in a constructive dialogue on developments in Ukraine, our bilateral ties and Ukraine’s place in the context of European cooperation. I have also expressed my concerns about the Tymoshenko case and other court cases with political implications, and my concerns about the way the parliamentary election was carried out in October,” said Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg.

Today Mr Stoltenberg met the Ukrainian Prime Minister, Mykola Azarov, for political talks in Oslo as part of Mr Azarov’s official visit to Norway.

Norway has supported Ukraine’s independence and integration into Europe since 1992, for example, through the Council of Europe’s action plan for Ukraine, and various OSCE and bilateral cooperation projects. Norway has also been involved in the practical cooperation between Ukraine and NATO.

“Ukraine will shortly take over the chairmanship of the OSCE, and has chosen a course of closer cooperation with Europe. We therefore expect Ukraine to carry out democratic and structural reforms in order to comply with European standards,” said Mr Stoltenberg.

During Mr Azarov’s visit, Norway and Ukraine will sign an agreement on nuclear safety cooperation. This includes measures to protect the environment and personnel in connection with the decommissioning of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant.

The framework for export of Norwegian fish was one of the bilateral trade issues discussed during the visit.

“We hope that EFTA’s free trade agreement with Ukraine will lead to more varied trade and better framework conditions for trade with and investments in Ukraine. Ukraine is already an important partner for Norwegian businesses, and we hope that these ties can be further strengthened,” said Mr Stoltenberg.