13 October 2009, 17:35
Volodymyr Lytvyn, Chairman of The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, believes that Foreign Policy of Ukraine must be based on the Principles of Pragmatism
V.Lytvyn made the above-mentioned statement on Tuesday, addressing the participants of the Ninth Council of the Leaders of Foreign Diplomatic Representative Offices of Ukraine dedicated to the topic "Commitments of the Foreign Affairs Service of Ukraine regarding Strengthening of the National Security of Ukraine under the Conditions of the Present-Day Challenges and Threats".
The Chairman of The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine congratulated Petro Poroshenko on his appointment to the office of the Minister of Foreign Affairs, stating that "first and foremost, it is necessary to unite the personnel and provide for an adequate resource base for the sake of development, not survival, of the institution in charge of foreign affairs". He also deems necessary to increase the funding of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, envisaging it in the State Budget for the next year.
Dwelling upon the doctrine of foreign policy of Ukraine, V.Lytvyn stressed that "the needs of Ukraine should have been determined a long ago". He believes that the foreign policy shall be "adequate, as it is supported by the history and the history of diplomacy", while at present, "it lacks a modern foundation". V.Lytvyn stated that a new version of the Law on the main principles of the foreign policy had not been adopted yet, although an effective version is outdated.
The Chairman of The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine stated that the policy "is doomed to fail, unless it corresponds to the moods of society". He cited an example of the relations with the Russian Federation and the issue concerning Ukraine´s access to NATO. He also stated that the latter issue split the society.
The Head of the Parliament deems necessary to secure pragmatic foreign policy instead of relying upon declarations. "I am convinced that an active firm standpoint will prevent any unexpected situations in the Ukrainian politics. It is necessary to demonstrate a principled position, instead of historical offences", - he stressed.
The Chairman of The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine stated that more than 600 Bills appertaining to the sphere of foreign policy had been registered at the Parliament. He promised that ratification of the said Bills would be non-problematic. V.Lytvyn deems necessary to adopt the Law on the Diplomatic Service and boost the activity of the parliamentary groups of friendship.
According to V.Lytvyn, on Thursday, the Parliament will receive a report of the National Academy of Sciences on the socio-economic state of Ukraine amounting to 600 pages. He believes that the politicians shall at last determine the bearers of responsibility for the current situation, propose the ways out t and appoint the persons responsible
V.Lytvyn presented the diplomats with the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine decorations.