Viktor Yanukovich and Jose Manuel Barroso

President of Ukraine Viktor Yanukovich, left, and European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso during meeting in Kiev, on Monday, April 18, 2011. President of Ukraine has met European Commission President tete-a-tete. President of Ukraine thanked Jose Manuel Barroso for his decision to visit Ukraine and take part in high-level arrangements to commemorate tragic events at the Chornobyl NPP. "I am glad to see you in Ukraine. I thank you for accepting my invitation and coming to this very important conference both for Ukraine and for the international community," the President of Ukraine said. Viktor Yanukovich noted that the international conference dedicated to the Chornobyl disaster has gained new importance in the scope of tragic events at the Japanese Fukushima NPP. Viktor Yanukovich also expressed confidence that the visit of the President of the European Commission will provide an opportunity for discussing important issues of Ukraine's relations with the European Union, including Ukraine signing the Association Agreement with the EU. "We are one step away from signing the Association Agreement which provides for the creation of a free trade area," he said. In turn, Jose Manuel Barroso thanked the President of Ukraine for the invitation to visit Ukraine. "I was very pleased to come to Kiev at your invitation and take this opportunity to not only discuss bilateral cooperation, but also take part in a very important arrangement dedicated to the Chornobyl issue," he said. "I think we should be making all efforts at the global scale to resolve the issue of nuclear safety. And the events taking place in Kiev will be of great importance for that," he said. "I also look forward to the opportunity to hold a scheduled meetings to discuss our constructive cooperation, as well as the opportunities to deepen our bilateral relations," Jose Manuel Barroso said. Photo by Andrey Mosienko / POOL / UNIAN