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EU opens talks on Ukraine’s accession under second of six negotiation clusters

The EU accession process is divided into 33 negotiating chapters, which are unevenly grouped into six negotiation clusters

© AP Photo/Virginia Mayo

BRUSSELS, July 14. /TASS/. The European Union began accession talks with Ukraine under the second of six negotiation clusters, Irish Minister for European Affairs Thomas Byrne, whose country holds the EU Council presidency, said.

"We have today reached another milestone on Ukraine’s EU membership journey by opening another key negotiating cluster, on external relations," he said at a press conference in Brussels. According to Byrne, the EU had previously opened cluster number one in June.

The EU accession process is divided into 33 negotiating chapters, which are unevenly grouped into six negotiation clusters. Accession talks do not guarantee membership and do not set any timeline for joining the bloc. For example, Turkey, whose accession is not expected in the foreseeable future, began EU membership talks nearly 21 years ago, in 2005.

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