ID :
85946
Sat, 10/24/2009 - 19:14
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://oananews.org//node/85946
The shortlink copeid
Russia-Ukraine relations must rely on national interests-Yanukovich
.
KIEV, October 24 (Itar-Tass) -- Ukraine's relations with Russia in the
gas sphere sent Ukraine into an uncompetitive condition, the leader of
Ukraine's Party of Regions, Viktor Yanukovich, told the Inter television
channel after his nomination as a presidential candidate.
Over the past five years, he said, "the current authorities have done
a lot to harm bilateral relations with Russia."
Yanukovich dismissed as an adventure the authorities' attempts to
upgrade the gas pipeline system with assistance from the European Union,
without giving Russia a role in that project.
The Party of Regions leader believes that "inter-dependent relations
between Ukraine and Russia must be built on the basis of national
interests."
He will be prepared to come to the negotiating table to take a fresh,
business-like look at the presence of Russia's Black Sea Fleet in the
Crimea and to give thought to if the fleet really needs as much land in
the peninsula."
.Ukraine's trade unions accuse IMF of meddling in social policies.
KIEV, October 24 (Itar-Tass) -- The Ukraine Federation of Trades
Unions on Friday protested what it described as attempts by the
International Monetary Fund to use the process of lending to ruin the
country's national system of social insurance.
In a statement issued on Friday the Federation said that on October 27
the trades unions would picket the IMF office in Ukraine.
The unions have nothing against financial support for Ukraine, but at
the same time they say that "the terms of lending indicate the IMF is
meddling in the internal social policies and trying to weaken the system
of social protection."
The Federation is angry "the terms of lending are kept secret from the
people and from the trade unions, which are the government's partners."
Under pressure from the IMF the government initiated a cut in pension
spending and an increase of the retirement age by five years. One of the
latest obligations to the IMF Ukraine has assumed is "that of raising the
retail prices of gas by 150 percent and introducing fines for delayed
payment of utility bills."
The trade unions argue "the government has stopped making independent
decisions and the principles of internal social policies are dictated to
it by international financial organizations."
Ukraine's oppositional Party of Regions on Friday accused the Yulia
Timoshenko Cabinet of being "on the IMF's payroll." Also, the party claims
that loans are being used to finance the prime minister's presidential
election campaign.
.Russia, Ukraine agree post-crisis cooperation on joint mkts.
MOSCOW, October 24 (Itar-Tass) -- Russia and Ukraine have agreed to
create a post-crisis model of cooperation on joint markets, Ukrainian
Foreign Minister Pyotr Poroshenko said after talks with his Russian
counterpart Sergei Lavrov on Friday.
"Today we can say objectively that we have agreed on creating a
post-crisis model of our countries' post-crisis cooperation on the joint
markets," Poroshenko said in a live interview on the Ekho Moskvy radio
station. "I do not rule out that this may develop into joint actions on
the markets of third countries on a whole range of groups of commodities,
although we have not gone that far yet."
"We agreed on a rather large set of economic issues. We have to state
with regret that today the range of Russia's restrictive measures against
Ukrainian goods is rather significant. In this particular case we agreed
that we shall not just create conditions for the observance of the
previously achieved agreements to terminate those restrictions. New
restrictions, should there be any in case of uncompetitive behavior by
economic entities, will be scrutinized by both sides and the appropriate
response will follow."
"The parties have declared the existence of the political will to
demonstrate progress in this respect. I am certain that we shall be able
to demonstrate that progress by the forthcoming meeting of the economic
committee under our prime ministers," Poroshenko said.
He added that "an absolutely equitable model of behavior will be
demonstrated by the Ukrainian side in terms of lifting restrictions from
the access of Russian goods to the Ukrainian market - chemical
fertilizers, railway equipment, motor vehicles and farm produce.
-0-str
KIEV, October 24 (Itar-Tass) -- Ukraine's relations with Russia in the
gas sphere sent Ukraine into an uncompetitive condition, the leader of
Ukraine's Party of Regions, Viktor Yanukovich, told the Inter television
channel after his nomination as a presidential candidate.
Over the past five years, he said, "the current authorities have done
a lot to harm bilateral relations with Russia."
Yanukovich dismissed as an adventure the authorities' attempts to
upgrade the gas pipeline system with assistance from the European Union,
without giving Russia a role in that project.
The Party of Regions leader believes that "inter-dependent relations
between Ukraine and Russia must be built on the basis of national
interests."
He will be prepared to come to the negotiating table to take a fresh,
business-like look at the presence of Russia's Black Sea Fleet in the
Crimea and to give thought to if the fleet really needs as much land in
the peninsula."
.Ukraine's trade unions accuse IMF of meddling in social policies.
KIEV, October 24 (Itar-Tass) -- The Ukraine Federation of Trades
Unions on Friday protested what it described as attempts by the
International Monetary Fund to use the process of lending to ruin the
country's national system of social insurance.
In a statement issued on Friday the Federation said that on October 27
the trades unions would picket the IMF office in Ukraine.
The unions have nothing against financial support for Ukraine, but at
the same time they say that "the terms of lending indicate the IMF is
meddling in the internal social policies and trying to weaken the system
of social protection."
The Federation is angry "the terms of lending are kept secret from the
people and from the trade unions, which are the government's partners."
Under pressure from the IMF the government initiated a cut in pension
spending and an increase of the retirement age by five years. One of the
latest obligations to the IMF Ukraine has assumed is "that of raising the
retail prices of gas by 150 percent and introducing fines for delayed
payment of utility bills."
The trade unions argue "the government has stopped making independent
decisions and the principles of internal social policies are dictated to
it by international financial organizations."
Ukraine's oppositional Party of Regions on Friday accused the Yulia
Timoshenko Cabinet of being "on the IMF's payroll." Also, the party claims
that loans are being used to finance the prime minister's presidential
election campaign.
.Russia, Ukraine agree post-crisis cooperation on joint mkts.
MOSCOW, October 24 (Itar-Tass) -- Russia and Ukraine have agreed to
create a post-crisis model of cooperation on joint markets, Ukrainian
Foreign Minister Pyotr Poroshenko said after talks with his Russian
counterpart Sergei Lavrov on Friday.
"Today we can say objectively that we have agreed on creating a
post-crisis model of our countries' post-crisis cooperation on the joint
markets," Poroshenko said in a live interview on the Ekho Moskvy radio
station. "I do not rule out that this may develop into joint actions on
the markets of third countries on a whole range of groups of commodities,
although we have not gone that far yet."
"We agreed on a rather large set of economic issues. We have to state
with regret that today the range of Russia's restrictive measures against
Ukrainian goods is rather significant. In this particular case we agreed
that we shall not just create conditions for the observance of the
previously achieved agreements to terminate those restrictions. New
restrictions, should there be any in case of uncompetitive behavior by
economic entities, will be scrutinized by both sides and the appropriate
response will follow."
"The parties have declared the existence of the political will to
demonstrate progress in this respect. I am certain that we shall be able
to demonstrate that progress by the forthcoming meeting of the economic
committee under our prime ministers," Poroshenko said.
He added that "an absolutely equitable model of behavior will be
demonstrated by the Ukrainian side in terms of lifting restrictions from
the access of Russian goods to the Ukrainian market - chemical
fertilizers, railway equipment, motor vehicles and farm produce.
-0-str
