President of Slovakia: “Ukraine has a chance to join the EU”

President of Slovakia Andrej Kiska arrived in Ukraine on May 20, a day before the Eastern Partnership Summit is to start. Meeting President Petro Poroshenko, he promised to discuss in Riga “perspectives for Ukraine and Europe, and European perspectives of Ukrainian citizens.”

In his turn, Poroshenko told the press that the issue of granting visa-free travel to Ukrainians should be divided into political and technical components. “The political decision on granting visa-free travel to Ukrainians should be clearly recorded, we should also get a clear list of technical issues, and Ukraine should resolve all technical issues before the evaluation mission’s arrival. It would be a very clear and strong signal, motivating Ukraine to resolve all technical issues,” he said, adding that he hoped to see the EU taking this stance at the summit in Riga.

Speaking about the situation in Ukraine, the president of Slovakia said that it was a concern for more than just Ukrainians themselves. “It concerns us as well, our future and the future of Europe. In fact, I    will bring this statement to the Eastern Partnership Summit in Riga, and will discuss this matter there,” the Slovakian leader stressed. He also reassured his counterpart that the reverse flow of gas would be kept on, and his country was “fully supportive of Ukraine’s stance on it.” The president of Slovakia emphasized that energy security issues of Ukraine and the EU would be resolved in a cooperative manner.