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Presidents Ilves and Komorowski discussed the European Union’s Eastern Partnership Policy
09.10.2013
Polish President Bronisław Komorowski and President Toomas Hendrik Ilves, who is attending the Arraiolos Group meeting in Kraków, discussed the European Union's Eastern Partnership Policy.
President Ilves considered it important that Association and Free Trade Agreements be signed with Ukraine and be initialled with Moldova and Georgia at the Eastern Partnership Summit in Lithuania in November.
"Estonia and Poland share this position regarding the conclusion of these agreements with Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia at the summit meeting in Vilnius," President Ilves said.
He added that the European Union's Eastern Partners must have the right to decide what kind of future they desire and which associations they wish to join. "Economic blackmail and threats as well as political pressure to join the Eurasian Customs Union, which these countries are currently experiencing, are unjustifiable. These developments must be carefully monitored during the next few months," the Estonian Head of State said, stressing the European Union's collective responsibility.
"At the same time, our association also affects our own countries, which are facing economic sanctions only because they support the European Union's Partnership Policy with conviction. Thus, Lithuania – who currently holds the EU Presidency – requires all of our support," said President Ilves.
At the invitation of Polish President Bronisław Komorowski, the following heads of state are participating in the meeting of the Arraiolos Group in Kraków: Bulgarian President Rosen Plevneliev, Italian President Giorgio Napolitano, Latvian President Andris Bērziņš, German President Joachim Gauck, Finnish President Sauli Niinistö and Portuguese President Aníbal Cavaco Silva.
The Arraiolos Group is series of informal meetings, which started in 2003, attended by the heads of state, whose countries do not participate in the meetings of the EU Council based on their constitutions. At this meeting, the group is focusing primarily on the European Union's Eastern Partnership and trans-Atlantic relations.
President Ilves will arrive back in Estonia late this evening.
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