Ukrainian foreign minister Leonid Kozhara does not consider that Ukraine must choose between Russia and the EU, he said in an interview with the Rossiiskaya Gazeta on the eve of his official visit to Moscow, March 28-29.
"The opinion that Ukraine, like a hero of the tale, is at a crossroads, in my view, is profoundly mistaken. Although, unfortunately, it is quite common," he said, UKRINFORM reports.
The minister stressed that the sense of the choice implies oppositions, but Russia and the European Union are not such. He emphasized the fact that they are geographically located on opposite sides of Ukraine does not makes them such too. On the contrary, it is the difference and diversity that makes them attractive for Ukraine, Kozhara added.
"Russia is our closest neighbor and an important strategic partner. Comprehensive development of mutually beneficial relations with it is a foreign policy priority for Ukraine," he stressed.
In turn, he said that the European Union is not just an association of countries geographically. First of all, it is the embodiment of the idea of a united Europe with high standards of living, generally recognized democratic and human values, without dividing lines. Ukraine's strategic policy is targeted to achieving this goal, the minister noted.
"We should not talk so much about choice, but about finding synergies. As well as about the fact that realizing our European integration aspirations and developing a close partnership with Russia, Ukraine brings together both parties," Kozhara said.
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