FOR THE RECORD

Ukraine's ambassador to U.S. speaks on independence anniversary

Following is the full text of the address by Dr. Yuri Shcherbak, ambassador of Ukraine to the United States, delivered at a reception on the occasion of the seventh anniversary of Ukraine's independence held at the Embassy of Ukraine on August 24.

Your Excellencies!

Esteemed Guests!

Ladies and Gentlemen!

On August 24 the people of Ukraine celebrate a great national holiday - the Ukraine's Independence Day. Seven years have passed since the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine declared Ukraine an independent nation. It became an event of historic importance that radically changed the geopolitical map of Europe.

Despite all the past and present difficulties in our development, today we have much to celebrate. In the past seven years since it became an independent nation:

• Ukraine has been free of inter-ethnic, inter-regional and civil conflicts.
  
  
• Ukraine has had a peaceful and democratic transition of both executive and legislative powers via free elections. This testifies that, by all European standards, Ukraine is a democratic country.
  
  
• Ukraine has given up its strategic and tactical nuclear weapons of its own free will, thus having made a major contribution to global peace and security.
  
  
• Ukraine has been accepted as a member of the Council of Europe and NATO's Partnership for Peace Program, and signed the Charter on a Distinctive Partnership with NATO.
  
  
• Ukraine has introduced many major economic reforms, despite extreme hardship for its citizens.
  
  
• Ukraine has adopted a new Constitution, which incorporated the best features of European democratic constitutions; adopted a new Law on Elections and established all necessary state institutions.

Today Ukraine is heading in the direction of radical reforms with the goal of resolving its current financial crisis, curing social problems, providing the basis for stable socio-economic growth, and reducing the time needed for successful transition to a market economy.

Regardless of the obvious difficulties, the intentions and efforts of President Leonid Kuchma and the Cabinet of Ministers to continue the course of reforming Ukrainian economy remains unchanged and steadfast. All this allowed Ukraine to achieve certain positive results. Signs of recovery in production can be observed in most sectors of the national economy, as economic growth trends intensify.

The president of Ukraine has issued several decrees that provide for urgent measures designed to speed up reform and lift Ukraine's economy from its crisis situation.

Within the short period of seven years, in the historical sense, Ukraine has established diplomatic relations with more than 150 countries of the world, opened 70 embassies and other foreign missions on all the continents, established friendly relations with all neighboring countries, resolved difficult issues, historically and technically, of territorial division and borders, and concluded almost 1,900 bilateral and multilateral international treaties and agreements that constitute the political-legal basis of its foreign policy.

Ladies and Gentlemen:

We consider the establishment of a strategic partnership with the U.S. one of our most important achievements in Ukrainian foreign policy. There is a continuous political dialogue at the highest level, the subjects of which are both issues of bilateral cooperation in an ever-growing number of fields and the most crucial issues of domestic and international life that are of mutual interest. The second plenary meeting of the Ukraine-U.S. Binational Kuchma-Gore Commission was successfully held in Kyiv last July. The visit of U.S. Vice-President Al Gore to the Chornobyl nuclear power plant contributed to a better understanding of our needs in the mobilization of finances to realize the shelter project and the decommissioning of the Chornobyl nuclear power plant in the nearest future.

We also hope that Ukraine will receive important support from the IMF and the World Bank, that we will be able to join the EFF [Extended Fund Facility] program and implement numerous World Bank projects.

Ukraine has to solve many problems in all spheres. However, the democratic choice of the state remains unchanged. Ukraine, having embarked on a massive program of reforms and building a democratic European state, will carry on, solving all issues in a civilized manner and honoring all its commitments to its partners. Independence is the most important guarantee of that.

Let me express our deep appreciation to the American people, the U.S. administration and Congress for supporting Ukraine.

Dear Friends:

It is a long and hard road that we must travel.

Let us remember that in two years we will meet the 21st century, and in three years we will celebrate the 10th anniversary of Ukraine's independence.

We believe that we will succeed in attaining our goal of making Ukraine a prosperous, democratic nation in the family of European countries.

We are determined to achieve this goal. We can do it, and we will do it.

* * *

Now I would like to perform my pleasant duty on behalf of the Ukrainian government and present an award of the president of Ukraine - the medal "For Merit" - to the U.S. citizen Mr. Wolodymyr Sochan, a public activist, an honorary member of the General Assembly of the Ukrainian National Association, in recognition of his personal contribution to promoting Ukrainian-U.S. cooperation and his activities in Ukrainian American institutions for many years.

Embassy in Washington hosts Independence Day reception

Copyright © The Ukrainian Weekly, August 30, 1998, No. 35, Vol. LXVI

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