News

VILNIUS, Aug 19, BNS - Ukraine's President Viktor Yanukovych is coming to Lithuania in October, officials of both countries said on Thursday.

The Lithuanian President's Office told BNS that Yanukovych, who took office in February, would come to Vilnius in the beginning of October. The precise date and details of the visit are yet to be finalized, said presidential adviser Daiva Ulbinaite.

Ukraine's Agrarian Policy Minister Nikolay Prysiaghniuk, currently on a visit in Lithuania, told journalists on Thursday that agricultural treaties would be signed between Vilnius and Kiev during Yanukovych's visit.

"Our country's president is scheduled to visit you country in the nearest future. I believe that by then we will be able to analyze minutes of meetings between our ministries, find a common denominator and sign relevant memorandums during the presidential meeting on the top level.  The documents will help us make our cooperation in the agricultural sector more efficient,"  said the minister.

Yanukovych, a politician often labeled as pro-Russian, defeated Yulia Tymoshenko in presidential elections this year. He also ran for the 2004 presidential race, however, lost to Viktor Yushchenko following election result forgery charges and the Orange Revolution.

All former Ukrainian presidents have visited Lithuania on a number of occasions. Yanukovych was in Lithuania in 2003 in capacity as Ukraine's prime minister.

Lithuania's President Dalia Grybauskaite attended Yanukovych's inaugural festivities in Kiev in February. The Ukrainian leader was invited to attend events to mark 20 years of Lithuania's independence on March 11, however, did not come to Vilnius due to the efforts to form the Ukrainian government.