Foreign Minister: Ukraine has made considerable progress in reform process

2017-07-10
LETA/TBT Staff

RIGA - Ukraine has made considerable progress in the reform process but much more needs to be done, Latvian Foreign Minister Edgars Rinkevics (Unity) said at the international conference on reform in Ukraine jointly organized by the governments of the United Kingdom and Ukraine.

At the conference "Opportunity Ukraine" in London on July 6 Rinkevics commended the progress achieved by the Ukrainian government in implementing reforms, the Latvian Foreign Ministry said.

"Considerable progress has been achieved in the reform process; however, much more needs to be done. It is essential that Ukraine has the political will to move ahead with reforms and not to stop at what has been attained. The tangible socio-economic improvements achieved through reforms are major steps on the path towards eurointegration chosen by Ukraine. At the same time, it is vital to be aware that reforms are being put in place not only because EU institutions demand so, but to promote Ukraine's stability, development, and prosperity," Rinkevics said at the conference.

The Latvian foreign minister also emphasized that serious efforts were needed in areas such as the reform of law enforcement institutions, fighting corruption, and economic reform that would bring in investments and improve the business climate.

He confirmed that, alongside other international partners, Latvia will continue providing political and practical support for reform in Ukraine. Through bilateral development cooperation projects, we will continue sharing our reform experience with Ukraine, Rinkevics said.

The conference was chaired by Boris Johnson, UK Secretary of State for Foreign & Commonwealth Affairs, and Ukrainian Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin. At the event, Ukraine presented its Medium-Term Plan of Priority Actions for 2017-2020 approved by the government and together with its international partners looked back at what has been achieved as well as laid out the reform objectives to be implemented in future.