Ukrainian PM to visit Russia August 26

Ukrainian Prime Minister Nikolai Azarov will make a working visit to Moscow on August 26 to discuss ways of developing cooperation between the two countries, presidential spokesman Vitaly Lukyanenko said on Friday. The visit is planned in connection with the fact that Ukraine and the EU intend to sign the Association Agreement and a free trade zone agreement at the Eastern Partnership summit in Vilnius in November, the spokesman said. Interaction between Ukraine and Russia, the Customs Union and the CIS countries “is the priority task in Ukrainian-Russian relations. We insist the two free trade zones should not be opposed. Ukraine praises both zones. Thus, we want to coordinate all regimes,” Lukyanenko said, adding that the two zones could not be opposed because they were based on the principles of the World Trade Organization. On Thursday, August 22, the Ukrainian and Russian premiers agreed to hold talks in Moscow on August 26.