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EU-Ukraine free trade deal to enter force in 2016 — PM

Russia, Ukraine and the EU agreed in September last year to delay the implementation of the free trade pact between Kiev and Europe at least until the end of 2015

© EPA/ROBERT GHEMENT

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KIEV, April 27. /TASS/. An agreement signed between the European Union and Ukraine on a comprehensive and full-fledged free trade area will start working from January 1, 2016, Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk said on Monday.

"After our talks, I believe no one can have any doubts that an agreement on a comprehensive and full-fledged free trade zone between Ukraine and the EU will start working from January 1, 2016," Yatsenyuk said at the Ukraine-EU summit

There will be no delays and no amendments in the text of this agreement, the Ukrainian premier said.

"This is our sovereign right between Ukraine and the EU," he said.

"Last year, we signed an association agreement and an agreement on the deep and comprehensive free trade area with the EU," Yatsenyuk said.

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Russia, Ukraine and the EU agreed in September last year to delay the implementation of the free trade pact between Kiev and Europe at least until the end of 2015. Russia has said on many occasions that the Ukraine-EU free trade deal implementation will harm the domestic market, unless amendments are made to the text of the agreement.

The 17th Ukraine-EU summit opened in the Ukrainian capital on Monday. The summit is attended by European Council President Donald Tusk and European Commission Head Jean-Claude Juncker.

The summit is expected to discuss a wide range of bilateral cooperation issues. Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko earlier said in a telephone conversation with Tusk he hoped that "strong signals" would be sent during the summit "in support of Ukraine and its European integration."

The Ukrainian leader also said it was important for Kiev and Brussels to intensify security and defense cooperation.

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Ukraine crisis Arseniy Yatsenyuk

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