Ukraine hopes the visa regime with the European Union will be canceled in the near future, Foreign Minister Petro Poroshenko said, RIA Novosti reported.
"The visa issue is a very painful one for Ukraine. First of all, because Ukraine is a democratic country; second, we have had no visas for European citizens for almost five years," Poroshenko said Tuesday at a meeting with the president of the American Chamber of Commerce in Ukraine.
"Third, Ukraine has a visa-free regime with neighboring countries," he said.
Poroshenko said Ukraine needs to solve a number of problems for visa regulations to be canceled, in particular, improve its migration and passport systems.
"If we manage to do so within a short period, we will have a visa-free regime with the EU," he said.
Poroshenko also said he is optimistic about the development of his country's relations with Russia.
"I think totally new opportunities open in relations with the Russian Federation. I will have important talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Friday," he stated.
He said the talks will be held in London on the sidelines of a conference on Afghanistan.
Poroshenko said that although bilateral ties are overshadowed by certain differences, problems can be resolved through dialogue.
Russia's new ambassador to Ukraine, Mikhail Zurabov, arrived in Kiev on Monday and presented his credentials to Poroshenko. After the first round of the January 17 election confirmed that Ukraine would have a new president, Medvedev ordered Zurabov to formally assume his position in Kiev.
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