Verkhovna Rada Chairman Arsenii Yatseniuk considers that prolongation of the Ukrainian-Russian agreement on friendship and co-operation is an epoch event.

He said this at the meeting entitled "Diplomatic Club" organized by his Open Ukraine fund.

At the same time, Yatseniuk said that many provisions of the agreement are declarative and have no mechanisms of implementation.

He said that Ukraine and Russia should develop bilateral dialog over creation of relevant mechanisms.

"We have to add the Bid agreement. We should elaborate additional agreements for each item of this Agreement to envisage mechanism of implementation of the declared provisions," he said.

Yatseniuk called on the foreign affairs ministries of Ukraine and Russia to boost the dialog, hold more personal meetings instead of exchanging with notes and reports of the press services.

As Ukrainian News earlier reported, President Viktor Yuschenko had declared the Ukrainian-Russian agreement on friendship and cooperation has been prolonged until April 2019.

Ukraine and Russia signed the agreement On Friendship, Cooperation and Partnership between the Russian Federation and Ukraine on May 31, 1997.

The Verkhovna Rada and the Russian State Duma ratified the agreement in 1998.

It came into force on April 1, 1999 after exchange of the ratification instruments.

According to Article 40 of the agreement, it is automatically prolonged for next 10 years if one of the sides does not notify in written about its intention to cancel the agreement, but at latest 6 months before the previous 10-year period expires.