OREANDA-NEWS. January 12, 2011. President of Ukraine Viktor Yanukovych met with European Commissioner for Enlargement and European Neighbourhood Policy Stefan Fule.

Welcoming the guest in Kyiv, the President praised the fact that his first international meeting this year is with the EU representative.

"I hope that development of our relations will lead to the long-awaited conclusion of negotiations on the Association Agreement and Free Trade Area," Viktor Yanukovych said.

Commenting on the results of year 2010 for Ukraine, the President said: "We have done much to prepare for consistent work on the European direction, which aims to raise and unite the country, establish freedom and democracy, bring order to the economy and raise it to the proper level of developed countries.

"Reforms in Ukraine are a reality today, not the declaration of intentions,” he said.  “I am absolutely convinced that 2011 will become the year of radical reforms in Ukraine”.

However, he said, Ukrainian government understands that the large-scale program of economic reforms cannot be realized without political reform, without taking decisive steps to combat corruption and increasing transparency of the government institutions. Therefore, Viktor Yanukovych said, the relevant working group continues the elaboration of new electoral legislation.

The President also said that certainly the political dialogue between Ukraine and the EU requires continued intensive contacts at the high political level.

"I will be pleased to welcome Mr. Jose Manuel Barroso in Ukraine in April at the Summit on Innovation and Safe Use of Nuclear Energy as part of the commemoration of the 25th anniversary of the Chernobyl disaster," he said.