MOSCOW, June 27 (RIA Novosti) – Integration with the EU is a sovereign right, but Russia will have to take measures if there are negative effects for its market, Dmitry Peskov, spokesman for the president of the Russian Federation, said Friday.
"This is an absolutely sovereign right of Ukraine and Georgia. The Russian side will take measures if the implementation of these agreements will have negative consequences on the Russian markets,” the presidential spokesman said.
"The [Russian] president has repeatedly declared that everything will depend on the establishment of the documents, their ratification and implementation,” Peskov added.
Earlier in the day, Ukraine singed the economic part of its association agreement with the EU. The political part of the deal was signed in March, shortly after Crimea reunited with Russia following the March 16 independence referendum.
“It took Ukraine seven long years to walk a thorny road towards political association and economic integration with the European Union,” Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said during the EU summit in Brussels where the ceremony took place. Crimea will also be a member of the association agreement, the president underlined.
Georgia and Moldova also signed both the political and economic parts of association agreements in the hope of unfettered access to the EU's 500 million citizens.
Ahead of the signing ceremony, European Council President Herman Van Rompuy vowed to establish a visa-free regime for Ukraine and Georgia and to fully integrate the Georgian, Moldovan and Ukrainian economies into the EU.
