KIEV, June 13 - The signing of an Association Agreement between Ukraine and the European Union will help Europe emerge from its economic crisis, according to President Viktor Yanukovych.

"The creation of a deep and comprehensive free trade area will be a key element of the agreement. This will pave the way for the integration of our economy into the EU internal market and thus stimulate its qualitative modernization," Yanukovych said at the Central and Eastern Europe summit of heads of state in Bratislava.