Rada's decision

The Ukrainian Supreme Rada [parliament] voted down the ratification of the Agreement on Free Trade with Moldova, signed by two Presidents last November. Of the 433 Ukrainian deputies present in the room, only 146 voted for the ratification, 15 were against, and 272 abstained from voting at all. Commenting the event, Moldovan Prime Minister Vasily Tarlev expressed hope the Rada would return to that issue one day. He voiced regret over the Ukrainian legislature's reluctance. He reminded that Ukraine is one of Moldova's biggest and important-most trade partners. "We will certainly clarify with our Ukrainian colleagues what the differences in the Rada were about, and which clauses in the document caused the legislature's objections. We do hope this situation of an uncertainty will be overcome eventually", Tarlev said.