Ukraine says EU's Eastern Partnership should focus on developing security component

ISTANBUL

The Eastern Partnership of the EU should focus on developing its security component, Ukraine stressed during a ministerial meeting of the initiative on Monday, the government said on Tuesday.

"The EaP (Eastern Partnership) countries should focus on addressing common challenges – countering hybrid warfare, disinformation, manipulation, and foreign interference," Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba was quoted saying during the meeting in Brussels on Monday, according to a statement from his office.

The statement said that Kuleba underlined the necessity to focus on the implementation of regional projects, improve communication networks, and revive energy cooperation to deepen sectoral cooperation within the Eastern Partnership.

"In response to Russia's use of energy supplies as a weapon there should be diversification of energy supply routes, reduce dependence on Russian fossil fuels, transition to clean energy, full synchronization of Ukraine's energy system with the ENTSO-E power grid, and integration into European energy markets," he further said.

Kuleba went on to say that Ukraine is actively developing renewable energy to become a supplier of hydrogen throughout Europe, also emphasizing the importance of integrating Ukraine's railway, road and navigable inland waterways into the Trans-European Transport Network.

He also confirmed Kyiv's intention to sign the Regional Roaming Agreement "provided that its provisions are applied not earlier than six months after the end of martial law," the statement added.

The Eastern Partnership is a joint initiative which aims to strengthen ties between EU member states and its six eastern neighbors: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova, and Ukraine.

Belarus did not take part in Monday's meeting.