Mykola Tomenko: Ukrainian Society and Opposition managed to protect the National Interests
Summarizing the outcome of the visit of the Russian President to Ukraine, Mykola Tomenko, Deputy Chairman of The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, stated: "The stand of experts and journalists, as well as the activity of the opposition prevented the Ukrainian authorities from signing a number of agreements concerning influence on the strategic branches of Ukrainian economy suggested by the Russian party."
According to M.Tomenko, the information about the list of agreements to be signed given by the Russian and Ukrainian high-ranking officials testifies that a number of agreements suggested by the Russian party have not been signed. The Deputy Chairman of The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine named the document on setting up a working group in charge of Kerch channel issue; the agreements on prospective foundation of joint enterprises in the aviation sector, Energoatom National Nuclear Energy Generating Company of Ukraine, etc.
The Foreign Policy Concept of the Russian Federation set out in "The Program for the Efficient and Systematic Use of Foreign Policy Factors for the Long-Term Development of the Russian Federation" has been actively discussed by the experts and has not been refuted by the Russian officials. The Deputy Chairman believes that this Concept testifies that "Russia employs economic methods to put Ukraine under the Russian influence."
M.Tomenko stated that the document forwarded to the Russian President D.Medvedev by S.Lavrov, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, on 2 February 2010, clearly states the necessity of "purchasing majority holdings of large Ukrainian companies by the Russian investors", "supporting the efforts of the Russian oil companies aimed at the use of Odesa-Brody oil pipe to restrict Ukraine´s access to Caspian oil", etc. "The willingness of Russia to promote Russian interests in the humanitarian sector is also apparent; therefore a long-standing idea of creating a single educational, scientific, information and cultural dimension is being formed again. The matter concerns formation of a ‘pro-Russian´ world, the history, culture and science being related on the grounds corresponding to the interests of the Russian Federation", he stated.
The Deputy Chairman of The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine stressed that "realization of this intention has been suspended due to common efforts, however, if one analyzes the statements of the part of the government that intends to implement the foreign policy concept of the Russian Federation, one will see that they talk the language of the document drafted by the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs."
"Thus, M.Tomenko supposes, the following issue remains pressing: how does Ukrainian foreign policy concept look like and whether new authorities can implement it for the benefit of the Ukrainian State." He believes that it is the Ukrainian society and its elite (experts, academics, journalists), and opposition that is to unite to protect the foreign policy concept of Ukraine, "since there are no authorities and opposition, but the Ukrainian State when the national interests of Ukraine are concerned."