Foreign ambassadors to Ukraine have explained why the country badly needs judicial reform. It is the basis of hypothetical membership of NATO and the European Union, they said
British ambassador Melinda Simmons and US Charge d’Affaires Christina Quinn said on the Freedom of Speech with Savik Shuster show that the country will be able to receive international investments after the reform. This was reported by the Korrespondent magazine.
“Judicial reform is the main, the most important of all the reforms that need to be implemented in order for Ukraine to get stronger, for Ukraine to be able to trade with other countries, for Ukraine to realize its Euro-Atlantic intentions,” Quinn said.
The diplomat also added that refusing to implement reforms would not deprive Ukraine of foreign support. However, if the country really wants to join the Alliance and the EU, it will have to take such a step. According to Quinn, US authorities cannot force US companies to invest in Ukraine. Right now it is the imperfection of the judicial system that stops them.
This position was supported by Simmons. She said that unwillingness to carry out reforms would be an obstacle for Ukraine’s Euro-Atlantic aspirations. The ambassador also added that, like the US, Europe was not refusing assistance.
The diplomats thus gently hinted that without complying with their instructions, NATO and EU membership could be forgotten. Reducing aid, which is supposedly unaffected by reform or not, will also be a matter of time. So far, the West is not abandoning it, but problems may arise suddenly.