EU recognises Yanukovich as winner in Ukraine elections

European Union representatives congratulated Viktor Yanukovich as the winner of the Ukrainian presidential elections on Friday, quashing loser Yulia Tymoshenko' hopes that her requests for a recount might receive international support, DPA reported.

"I would like to offer warmest congratulations on your election as the new President of Ukraine," European Commission president Jose Manuel Barroso wrote in a publicly disclosed letter to Yanukovich.

He assured him the EU remained "fully committed to deepening the process of political association and economic integration between the European Union and Ukraine by completing our negotiations on an EU-Ukraine Association Agreement as soon as possible."

Barroso's spokeswoman, Pia Ahrenkilde-Hansen, added that the commission president called Ukraine's president-elect to invite him "to visit Brussels at his earliest convenience."

In a separate message, the head of the European Parliament Jerzy Buzek told Yanukovich the assembly "looks forward to working together with you in strengthening the EU-Ukraine relations and in advancing the Eastern Partnership policy."

Buzek referred to a political and economic cooperation initiative launched by the EU in 2009 with Ukraine, Georgia, Belarus, Moldova, Armenia and Azerbaijan.

The parliament president urged the new leader of Ukraine "to build confidence and increase cooperation among all political forces", pursue reforms and push forward the country's European agenda.