EDITORIAL: The PM comes calling (02/07/99)

EDITORIAL

The PM comes calling

The visit to Ukraine by Canada's Prime Minister Jean Chrétien was short and to the point. No need for lengthy ceremonies and pompous displays. That is as it should be when friends meet. The two sides immediately got down to business and the pace was fast. Mr. Chrétien and his delegation arrived from Poland at noon on January 27 and by the next morning had signed seven bilateral agreements in areas of mutual interest.

This was the first state visit by a Canadian prime minister to Ukraine since the former Soviet republic declared independence nearly eight years ago, which in no way detracts from the fact that Canada has been one of Ukraine's closest international partners. Canada was the first Western state to recognize Ukraine and since then has been a major player in providing and obtaining foreign aid for the country.

Mr. Chrétien has championed the Ukrainian cause, on international financial aid and foreign investment and within the structures of the most powerful international organizations, including the Group of Seven industrialized nations and the International Monetary Fund. As Oleh Romaniw, former president of the Ukrainian Canadian Congress told The Weekly after the Chrétien visit, "At the G-7, Chrétien carries the Ukraine file. When Ukrainian issues arise, heads turn to him."

Ukraine's President Leonid Kuchma, at a joint press conference with the prime minister, noted Mr. Chrétien's direct involvement in securing for Ukraine the much-needed and long-awaited $2.2 billion EFF credit arrangement with the IMF.

In another initiative, Mr. Chrétien became the first leader from the West to visit the Famine Memorial in Kyiv, to remember and honor the millions who died as a result of Stalin's attempt to break Ukraine's people by starvation in 1932-1933.

However, the Chrétien visit was not simply an exercise in back-slapping and handshakes along with a few somber moments. As Ukraine's mentor to the West, the Canadian prime minister told his Ukrainian counterparts that they must put their house in order if the country is to attract further international investment; that rampant corruption must be corralled, taxes lowered, a stable financial base erected and economic reforms concluded. Mr. Chrétien has some authority to tell Ukrainian leaders how to model their still-developing society - for five years running the United Nations has named Canada the best country on earth in which to live.

Yet all this advice was given in a spirit of friendship and cooperation. At a state dinner hosted by President Kuchma, the Canadian prime minister explained, "I tell you, as a friend and partner, that such commitment to reform is the only path that will lead to the emergence of the strong and prosperous Ukraine which your people dream of, and which Europe and the world needs."

The prime minister brought with him more than 100 businesspeople, in a concrete expression of entrepreneurial interest. In one day, the group, among them Ukrainian Canadians, had signed 18 agreements worth $163 million (Canadian).

Prime Minister Chrétien also stressed several times during his visit the strong imprint that Ukrainians have made on the cultural, political and economic landscape of Canada in the last 100 years. "Within the Canadian mosaic, Ukrainian Canadians, now 1 million strong, have made an indelible mark. I have come to Kyiv, in part, to recognize this contribution and to express the deep appreciation of Canada for sharing so many of your fine sons and daughters with us," said the prime minister.

Canadians of Ukrainian heritage should feel proud that in Mr. Chrétien they have a world leader who can truly be called a friend of Ukraine.

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