Ukraine should seek integration with Europe through Customs Union - Shuvalov

ST. PETERSBURG, June 18 (Itar-Tass) -- Ukraine's decision to join the
Customs Union of Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan would make this
association far stronger, First Deputy Prime Minister Igor Shuvalov said
in the course of a discussion at the St. Petersburg Economic Forum on
Friday.
"Ukraine remains as valuable as it was, and given the qualities that
it has, its involvement in our Customs Union would transform our Eurasian
Economic Community into an association of a quite different level, a far
stronger one," Shuvalov said.
"Probably somebody in Europe or elsewhere would not like to see the
emergence of such a strong four-member association involving Ukraine?" he
speculated, adding that there were geopolitical processes at work, while
the EurAsEC was an economic organization, and not a political one.
"We, too, shall be integrating with Europe. Our goal is creation of a
common economic space from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean," Shuvalov
said. He recalled that Russia kept telling its Ukrainian partners that "if
they really wish to achieve a sufficient degree of Eurointegration, to
considerably build up their economic potential, they should do that by
entering the Customs Union."
"If that does not happen, we shall get over it, but frankly speaking,
certain quality will be lost," Shuvalov said.