Ukraine expects 'positive' decision on EU visa exemption

By Zuhal Demirci

ANKARA (AA) - Parliament Chairman Andriy Parubiy said Ukraine expects a "positive" decision from the European Parliament regarding visa exemptions.

"We [Ukraine] expect a positive decision from the European Parliament in the upcoming days regarding the visa exemption," Parubiy told Anadolu Agency.

Parubiy's remarks came during a meeting of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly in Istanbul before the EU-Ukraine summit, which is to be held in Brussels on Thursday.

Parubiy said the EU asked for 144 reforms, most of them related to the fight against corruption.

"We fulfilled all the reform demands," he said.

Parubiy said Ukraine has taken "resolute" steps against corruption.

He added Ukraine had one of the most "powerful" armies in the region.

"Our aim is to completely fulfill all the reforms till 2020 and change our army in line with NATO standards," Parubiy said.

Ukraine-Turkey relations

Parubiy said Turkey was a "strategic partner" of Ukraine.

"Since the beginning, Turkey supported Ukraine's territorial integrity and sovereignty. It did not recognize the occupation and illegal annexation of Crimea," he added.

Crimea was annexed by Moscow in March 2014 after a contested independence referendum on the heels of violent anti-government protests in the Ukrainian capital Kiev that led to the overthrow of then-President Viktor Yanukovych.

Along with most of the international community, including the U.S. and the EU, Turkey does not recognize Crimea as Russian territory.