KIEV, Dec. 14 – EU integration remains the main task for Ukrainian diplomats, President Viktor Yanukovych said.

"European integration remains the first and main task of the Ukrainian diplomacy," he said at a meeting with Ukrainian diplomats in Kiev on Tuesday.

Yanukovych said that diplomats should focus their efforts on signing an association agreement in the near future. However, he noted that the signing of this document would be historically important for Ukraine and create "a platform for further European integration." The president recalled that an inseparable part of the agreement was the creation of a free trade area and the introduction of a visa-free regime with EU countries.