Oekraïne zal beleid ten opzichte van EU en NATO niet wijzigen

EUOBSERVER / COMMENT - The foreign policy priorities of Ukraine as declared by president Viktor Yushchenko will remain unchanged despite the fact that some parties in the new parliamentary coalition have nuances in terms of their foreign policy programmes.

The president of Ukraine, Mr Yushchenko, enjoys special constitutional powers in the foreign policy arena, including the appointment of the foreign and defence ministers.

This continuity was again confirmed in a document called the "National Unity Pact," recently signed by the president of Ukraine and the newly-appointed prime minister, Viktor Yanukovych, as well as the parliamentary speaker and other ruling coalition party leaders.

This document underlined the adherence of the signatories, including prime minister Yanukovych, to the European choice of Ukraine - it confirmed the irreversibility of Ukraine's foreign policy course, which is specifically aimed at integration into the European Union.

The pact foresees implementation of the Ukraine-EU "action plan" and the beginning of negotiations on creating a free trade zone between Ukraine and the European Union.

Concerning NATO, the declaration foresees mutually beneficial cooperation with NATO in accordance with Ukrainian security legislation. It also foresees the adoption of a future decision on NATO accession based on the results of a nationwide referendum [which is unlikely to take place before 2008].

Specifically, I want to recall that the law entitled "On the guidelines of the national security of Ukraine" foresees step-by-step preparation of Ukraine for NATO accession, including Ukraine's adoption and implementation of the NATO membership action plan.

I am also confident that Ukraine's policy with regard to the Transdnistrian settlement will remain constructive and responsible. It is in our national interest to see stable, secure and prosperous borders in the region - free passage for law-abiding citizens and companies and closed borders for criminals.

These interests are the same for Moldova, the EU, Russia and certainly in the real interest of the people of Transdnistria.

Ukraine's plan for a Transdnistrian settlement and its joint anti-smuggling action with Moldova and the EU have already born fruit. We have clear indication that illegal activity on our border with Moldova has significantly decreased. This is positive for the Ukrainian budget, which is a priority for the government, and our efforts here are bringing economic as well as political benefits.

We hope that the solution of the Transdnistrian problem can create an example for the solution of other frozen conflicts in Europe and we are looking forward to discussing these issues further at the EU-Ukraine cooperation council on 14 September.

Good Russian relations vital

At the same time, it is a vital issue for every Ukrainian government to keep as good relations with Russia as possible.

It is in our national interest to develop good, productive and mutually beneficial relations with all neighbouring countries, including Russia - our biggest trade partner in terms of turnover and a country with which we have long-standing relations in the energy sphere. I am confident that further improvement and intensification of relations with Russia will be a priority for the government of Viktor Yanukovych.

I would decline to answer the question: who is better for Ukraine's economic future - Mr Yanukovych or [former prime minister] Yulia Tymoshenko? Politics, as Romano Prodi once said, "is not a beauty contest." I can only underline that attracting foreign investments is a very important task for the Ukrainian government and we should judge the different Ukrainian prime ministers in accordance with the results they have brought in this area.

At the moment we see steady growth of foreign investment in different spheres of the Ukrainian economy. We have even started to see competition between foreign investors for different shares of the Ukrainian investment market.

Ukraine needs democracy and unity to achieve prosperity and the well being of its society. We defended democracy in [the Orange Revolution of] 2004. Now we are building unity. This is indispensable for the development of Ukraine and this can not be done without a political party, [Mr Yanukovych's Party of the Regions] which is supported by more than 30 percent of Ukrainians.

Roman Shpek is Ukraine's ambassador to the EU in Brussels.