Acting minister of foreign affairs comments on upheavals in Ukraine (09/25/05)

Acting minister of foreign affairs comments on upheavals in Ukraine

by Yaro Bihun
Special to The Ukrainian Weekly

WASHINGTON - Borys Tarasyuk, Ukraine's acting foreign affairs minister, says that the recent internal political upheaval in Ukraine, while dramatic, should not be viewed as a tragedy.

These events, he told a foreign policy forum here September 19, "are evidence of democracy, a part of a democratic process in my country." Mr. Tarasyuk was speaking at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), a prominent Washington think-tank, on the first day of his two-day visit here for talks with Bush administration officials, members of Congress, business groups and non-governmental organizations interested in Ukrainian affairs.

He said that in analyzing the political give-and-take and President Viktor Yushchenko's dismissal of Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko and her Cabinet, in which Mr. Tarasyuk was foreign affairs minister, "one should not be lost in details - then, one will see the whole forest, not just the trees."

"The enthusiasm of the first months after the Orange Revolution has been transformed into the healthy pragmatism of a young rapidly developing modern society," he said, "which is not a tragedy, but the most natural thing in the world."

Such a development in Ukraine, he added, along with similar political developments in Georgia and Kyrgyzstan, "has a potential to define some important tendencies on the post-Soviet space in general." And, with this in mind, he said, the presidents of Ukraine and Georgia, during their meeting last month in Borzhomi, launched a new initiative: the Community of Democratic Choice (CDC), which seeks to promote democracy in the region and create a community of democratic countries in the vast area between the Baltic, Black and Caspian seas.

Mr. Tarasyuk said that the CDC intends to closely cooperate with Poland, Romania and other Central, Southern and Eastern European countries, the European Union (EU), the United States, Russia and other countries and groupings.

"Our objective is to clear out our region from all remaining dividing lines, from violations of human rights, from any spirit of confrontation, from frozen conflicts and thus to open a new era of democracy, security, stability and lasting peace for the whole of Europe, from the Atlantic to the Caspian Sea."

Asked about Ukraine's relations with some of the countries and groups he mentioned, Mr. Tarasyuk said he would not "over-exaggerate" Kyiv's "difficulties and differences" with Moscow.

He pointed out that President Yushchenko took the first step right after his election by visiting Moscow, which started a constructive dialogue, established a presidential commission on bilateral relations and initiated a "pragmatic action plan," which will be ready for approval during President Vladimir Putin's visit to Ukraine in October. Since then, "nothing negative has taken place," he said, adding: "I do believe that we can keep our relationship in a normal, constructive channel."

Mr. Tarasyuk characterized the development of Ukraine's relationship with the EU as being "not bad." He said he expects that the major outstanding issues between them will be resolved by the next Ukraine-EU summit in December, which would include granting Ukraine market economy status, the beginning of talks on free trade and visa liberalization, and the resolution of the Ukraine's World Trade Organization (WTO) membership issues.

"We have completed around 40 percent of our commitments according to the action plan," he added and said he expects the remainder to be completed by March of next year.

The agenda of his meetings with U.S. administration officials, Mr. Tarasyuk said, included such bilateral outstanding issues as recognizing Ukraine as a market economy, Ukraine's membership in the WTO, and getting Ukraine back into the U.S. Generalized System of Preferences, from which it was dropped a few years ago.

Vice-President Dick Cheney and the president's national security advisor, Stephen Hadley, were among the officials with whom Mr. Tarasyuk met. He also had a meeting with members of the Congressional Ukrainian Caucus, the Ukrainian-American Business Council, and with the president of the National Democratic Institute, former Secretary of State Madeleine K. Albright.

Introducing the acting foreign affairs minister at the CSIS forum, Dr. Zbigniew Brzezinski, who was national security advisor to President Jimmy Carter, said that what struck him the most about Mr. Tarasyuk's tenure in office was that "it has been characterized by genuine strategic clarity."

"And that's a very important asset for a country - clear strategic objectives formulated in a realistic fashion, with a long-range perspective in mind," Dr. Brzezinski said.

In the evening of September 19, the Ukrainian Embassy hosted a reception-meeting for Mr. Tarasyuk with a small group of leaders of Ukrainian American organizations, during which he discussed his country's recent internal political developments and future cooperation with diaspora organizations, among other issues.

He also presented an award to Dr. Ihor Masnyk of the National Cancer Institute in Washington, honoring him for his efforts in helping provide effective medical treatment for children suffering from the effects of the Chornobyl nuclear disaster.

| Home Page |