STATE RECEPTION: President Yushchenko's address to foreign leaders

Following is the text of the address by President Viktor Yushchenko at the state reception held on the occasion of his assumption of the office of the president of Ukraine. The reception took place at the Mariinskyi Palace on January 23. Source: www.razom.org.ua.

Your Excellencies!

Respected heads and representatives of foreign states and international organizations!

Allow me to welcome you as the new president of Ukraine on the behalf of the people of Ukraine.

The Ukrainian democratic revolution of the year 2004 was victorious thanks to the unconquerable power of the people, united by the ideals of freedom, democracy, human rights and sovereignty.

On these days, when our people celebrate their victory and the historic unification of the eastern and western regions of Ukraine into a single state, we can say the following with pride:

• A new Ukrainian nation has been born in Europe at the beginning of the 21st century. We are starting a new epoch of Ukrainian and European history in the third millennium. This will be an epoch of solidarity, partnership and unification in one European house.
  
  
• The people of Ukraine have put an end to the totalitarian past and have chosen democracy, human rights and freedom.
  
  
• The new Ukraine has put an end to the policy of dependence.
  
  
• Our people take the fate of Ukraine into their own hands.
  
  
• Ukraine is and continues to be a large and united family of brotherly peoples.
  
  
• The new state and government will secure the real sovereignty of the people, justice and well-being for all.
  
  
• We will build a new united Ukrainian nation that will become a natural part of the large European family.
  
  
• We will be building the society of the future - a society of spirituality, knowledge, culture and well-being, a social state and a socially oriented economy, based on people's enterprise, economic democracy and competition.
  
  
• The national strategy of Ukraine will be based on the principles of effective advocacy of national interests, improvement of our sovereign statehood, and increase of the international competitiveness of Ukraine.

Your Excellencies! Allow me, on the behalf of the people of Ukraine, to thank you and your nations for the tremendous support in our struggle for democracy, justice and progress. We are now ready to contribute to global cooperation.

Copyright © The Ukrainian Weekly, January 30, 2005, No. 5, Vol. LXXIII

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