On September 8, in the framework of his working visit to the Dnipropetrovsk Region, Minister for Foreign Affairs Kostyantyn Gryshchenko took part in the Forum of the International Regional Cooperation of Eastern Partnership Countries “Towards Europe”, held in the regions’ history for the first time.

In his speech at the event, the Minister informed its participants on the growing efforts of the Ukrainian MFA to make our country’s foreign policy more economically oriented in line with the instructions of the President of Ukraine and Ukraine’s strategic course towards European integration.

Among the important achievements on the European integration path, Minister Gryshchenko named the initialing of the Association Agreement with the EU including Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area, visa facilitation for a broad range of categories of Ukrainian citizens - scientists, physicians, representatives of NGOs, religious organizations and trade unionists, who, pursuant to a recently signed agreement with the EU, can now get free multiple-entry Schengen visas.

"Establishing new inter-regional ties and forms of cooperation with European partners is an important part of the process of European integration of Ukraine and making our foreign policy more economically oriented," the Minister of Foreign Affairs said.

According to Kostyantyn Gryshchenko, the Foreign Ministry has been working hard recently to enhance cooperation with Ukraine's regions in order to support domestic enterprises in entering new markets and finding new partners for major investment projects.

The Minister stressed the importance of expanding regional cooperation in the framework of the Eastern Partnership project, and pointed to Ukraine’s leading position in this area. Kostyantyn Gryshchenko reminded that the first Euroregion in the framework of the Eastern Partnership, namely the Dniester Euroregion, was created in February this year on the initiative of local communities of the Vinnytsia region and Moldova.

The Minister praised Dnipropetrovsk Region’s contribution into the development of regional contacts with the EU countries. "I am particularly pleased to note that practical Eastern Partnership regional cooperation has started with a presentation of the Dnipropetrovsk Region at the Committee of the Regions in April this year,” he said.

According to Kostyantyn Gryshchenko, cooperation at the level of businesses and implementation of joint investment projects is a good means for the state to understand businesses’ problems and bring economic activity standards closer to those in Europe. "This is a gradual integration into the EU," said the Minister.