KIEV, June 9 (Xinhua) -- Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko and his visiting Lithuanian counterpart Dalia Grybauskaite met on Friday to discuss progress in Ukraine's European integration.
While speaking at the news briefing after the bilateral talks in Ukraine's eastern city of Kharkov, Poroshenko appreciated Grybauskaite's support on Ukraine's path towards closer ties with the European Union (EU). Lithuania, a former Soviet bloc nation like Ukraine, joined the EU in 2004.
"I am confident that our strategic partnership with Lithuania has enormous potential and we are willing to fully implement this potential for Ukraine's further promotion in the EU," Poroshenko told reporters.
For her part, Grybauskaite congratulated Ukraine for establishing a free-trade area with the EU and obtaining a visa-free regime with the political bloc, noting that Kiev has made a good progress in recent time in implementing political and economic reforms.
"Over the past years you've done much more than that of the previous 20 years," she said.
Grybauskaite arrived in Kharkov earlier Friday for a one-day working visit to greet the upcoming visa-free regime between Ukraine and the EU, which comes into force on June 11.
