Focus on Ukraine, August 25-31, 2008
The Democratic Initiatives Foundation follows political events in Ukraine with the aim of monitoring the pre-election promises of the country’s leading political forces that won seats in the parliament as a result of the early elections to the Verkhovna Rada on September 30, 2007. The monitoring is conducted within the framework of the project “Where are our political leaders taking us?”
August 25
Ukraine celebrated the 17th anniversary of its independence
yesterday with a military parade on Khreshchatyk, the city’s
central street. President of Ukraine and Commander-in-Chief Viktor
Yushchenko and Minister of Defense Yuriy Yekhanurov were in
attendance to greet the participants of the parade.
Participants in the parade included 19 parade units, 144 units of
military hardware and weaponry, eight helicopters and 22 fighter
jets that recently helped in the clean-up of the flooding in the
devastated Zakarpattia region.
August 26
Yesterday around 21:30 member of the Lytvyn Bloc
parliamentary faction Mykhailo Syrota was killed in a car accident
on the Kyiv-Odesa Highway.
Syrota was one of the parliamentarians who assumed the
responsibility for drafting the Constitution of Ukraine. It was
noted in the condolences published on the official website of the
president of Ukraine that Syrota was known among the people as the
“Father of the Ukrainian Constitution”.
VR Speaker Arseniy Yatsenyuk announced today that the 3rd
session of the parliament of the 6th convocation will open on
September 2.
The speaker informed that the parliament will review the Main
Course of Budget Policy in 2009. At the same time, the speaker
expressed his doubts that systemic reforms will be implemented in
the next political season.
Presidential Press Secretary Iryna Vannikova said the president plans to make an emergency address to the parliament on September 2.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine passed judgment on
Russia’s decision to recognize the independence of Southern Ossetia
and Abkhazia.
In the ministry’s statement it reads that Ukraine regards this step
as an extremely dangerous precedent that will aggravate the overall
situation in the Caucuses.
Ukraine’s foreign ministry is calling on the international
community to unite efforts to ensure the integrity of Georgia. The
delegation of the ministry cancelled its visit to Russia planned
for tomorrow.
August 27
President Viktor Yushchenko announced that Ukraine does not
support the decision of Russia recognizing the independence of
Southern Ossetia and Abkhazia.
The president feels that the guaranteeing the fundamental
international rights to territorial integrity of any country should
be the basis of national security policy in the contemporary
world.
Yushchenko plans to discuss the situation in Georgia with Great
Britain’s Foreign Secretary David Milliband, who paid an official
visit to Kyiv today.
During his meeting with Great Britain’s Foreign Secretary David Miliband, Ukraine’s President Viktor Yushchenko emphasized that Russia’s recognition of the independence of Southern Ossetia and Abkhazia has “created a stressful situation in the region”, while Milliband stated that Great Britain is “indignant about the actions of Russia over the past two weeks”.
The Yulia Tymoshenko Bloc called the decision of Russia
recognizing the independence of Abkhazia and Southern Ossetia
erroneous.
YTB deputy Volodymyr Polokhalo said this situation could pose a
serious threat to aggravating conflicts around the world and
disrupting the system of co-existence of states on the principles
agreed to after World War II.
Leader of the opposition Party of Regions Viktor Yanukovych
stated that Ukraine should support the will of the people of
Abkhazia and Southern Ossetia for independence.
In an interview with the Interfax news agency, Yanukovych called
the recognition of the independence of these regions on the part of
Russia a logical extension of the process initiated by western
countries concerning the recognition of the independence of
Kosovo.
Yanukovych called for repudiating double standards and take the
same stance towards these two regions as the West did in response
to the proclamation of independence of Kosovo. Recall that Ukraine
is one of the states that did not recognize the independence of
Kosovo.
The government of Tymoshenko set new rules for the stationing
of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet in Ukraine.
Standing representative of the president in the Cabinet of
Ministers Oleksandr Shlapak informed that the ministers unanimously
adopted a resolution that would regulate the movement of Russian
naval ships and aircraft crossing the border.
August 28
British Foreign Secretary David Milliband stated at a press
conference after holding a meeting with Ukraine’s Minister of
Foreign Affairs Volodymyr Ohryzko that the doors to NATO and the
European Union should be open for Ukraine.
The official representative of London said Russia’s aggression in
the Caucuses substantiated the arguments for approving the
membership of Ukraine and Georgia in the NATO Membership Action
Plan.
At the same time, Milliband did not mention specific deadlines for
granting Ukraine the MAP. Recall that at the NATO summit the number
proponents of Ukraine being granted the MAP increased. Besides
Great Britain, Germany and France expressed their support of
Ukraine.
One of the first issues that will be included in the order of
the day of the 3rd session of the VR is the adoption of those draft
laws that were approved by the parliament as a basis.
This was stated in a letter the president submitted to the VR
speaker and leaders of the factions that are part of the
coalition.
The list of priority draft laws is as follows: On the Opposition,
On Amendments to the Law of Ukraine “On Local State
Administrations” and On Amendments to the Law of Ukraine “On Local
Self-government”.
UNIAN informed with a reference to the German news agency DPA that NATO supported the territorial sovereignty and integrity of Ukraine in a statement issued based on the results of the meeting of the Ukraine-NATO Commission held in Brussels on Wednesday at the ambassadorial level. The Alliance also confirmed its position regarding the positive prospects of Ukraine’s membership.
- May 19, 2008
Focus on Ukraine, May 12 – 18, 2008 - May 26, 2008
Focus on Ukraine, May 19-25, 2008 - June 2, 2008
Focus on Ukraine, May 26-June 1, 2008 - June 9, 2008
Focus on Ukraine, June 2-8, 2008 - June 16, 2008
Focus on Ukraine, June 9-15, 2008 - June 23, 2008
Focus on Ukraine, June 16-22, 2008 - June 30, 2008
Focus on Ukraine, June 23-29, 2008 - July 7, 2008
Focus on Ukraine, June 30-July 6, 2008 - July 14, 2008
Focus on Ukraine, July 7-13, 2008 - July 21, 2008
Focus on Ukraine, July 14-20, 2008
Begin Previous page 1 2 3 4 Next Page End
^ Top