Regionalist’s Digest

Sounds like the voice of experience, doesn’t it? Welcome to our latest digest on things Regionalist.

The opinion of the "people" who care so much about public opinion is nothing to be afraid of. Enjoy!

Introductory address of V.F.Yanukovych, the Chairman of the Party of Regions faction in the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine at the opposition government

23.01.2008, 15:11

Dear colleagues!

Let me congratulate you at this year's first meeting of our government.

I should say that the first weeks of the new year and the first steps of the Cabinet of Ministers of Tymoshenko testify that the economy of Ukraine anticipates a crisis period.

Tymoshenko's government, as it is already visible, settles and will settle a political task exceptionally to prepare groundings for presidential elections of Tymoshenko.

Thus, this government will live only for today and care not for future generations, but for the upcoming elections.

Therefore we are those who should take care of our country's return to its long-term and stable development.

Our task is to return the society to reforms. We should realize the enormous dimensions of a danger that will face the state where the government instead of being engaged in effective management of the economy, instead of development has chosen a strategy of wasting, a path of flirting with voters for the sake of achieving the only aim – presidential elections.

What do I suggest today to concentrate our attention on?

The first and the most important. Today it has become absolutely obvious that the BYUT pre-election slogans about the best and the most modern program of all times and people, allegedly composed of the proposals of each and every, were only another example of populism and pre-election lie.

Instead of a specific program of action the Tymoshenko Government proposed a collection of populist slogans and dreams.

So-called "Ukrainian breach" is nothing but alienation from reality, from pragmatism, from specific approaches to settle particular tasks.

http://www.partyofregions.org.ua/eng/faces/47b93b05149e8/


Yuriy Boyko: Ukraine is the most direct way from gas and oil fields of Siberia to Europe

26.02.2008, 18:37

‘The main suppliers of energy resources have grave alternatives given increasing demand. Ukraine is the most direct way from gas and oil fields of Siberia to Europe’, - stated People’s Deputy of Ukraine Yuriy Boyko today in Brussels in his speech at the 10th meeting of the EU-Ukraine parliamentary collaboration committee.

http://www.partyofregions.org.ua/eng/pr-east-west/47c4404d5532e/


Yuriy Boyko: The situation with gas supply to Ukraine imposes a real threat

20.02.2008, 17:56

People’s Deputy, the Party of Regions parliamentary faction member Yuriy Boyko stated during the TV channel ‘Rada’ live broadcast that all accusations of Prime Minister Tymoshenko against ‘RosUkrEnergo’ company are aimed only at distracting public attention from what occurred in the country on the grounds of unauthorized gas extraction:

- Since 1999 our country has not had such ‘experience’ as unauthorized extraction and uncontrolled use of gas. Unfortunately, in January of this year we encountered this case. And any explanation introduced by the governmental officials on this occasion is not worth Ukraine’s loss of an image of a reliable, predictable partner on supply and transit of energy carriers to Europe.

http://www.partyofregions.org.ua/eng/pr-east-west/47bc4da4cfe63/


Nickolay Azarov: The state should be interested in forming a competitive domestic producer

25.02.2008, 12:22

The Parliamentary Committee on Finance and Banking chairman Nickolay Azarov told ‘Economicheskie izvestiya’ about his vision of the economic policy that should be implemented in Ukraine.

- Social payments from the budget are currently the main reason of price increase. How long could a double rise in population’s profits relative to the economic growth rate be conducted?

- A challenge of priority between development and consumption is age-old for any government. It is even compared to the tale of eggs and a hen. However, consumption cannot advance without economic development of the country as a whole. It is just as difficult as to ensure high rate and high quality of development without appropriate improvement of consumption pattern. These two priorities cannot be contrasted with each other. But a source of financing these priorities is one - the gross domestic product of the country. It is constant and unique source.

http://www.partyofregions.org.ua/eng/faces/47c296c9943e9/


Sergiy Lyovochkin: The programme of Viktor Yanukovych’s visit to Brussels has been confirmed

25.02.2008, 16:58

People’s Deputy, the Party of Regions parliamentary faction deputy head Sergiy Lyovochkin stated about confirmation of the programme of Viktor Yanukovych’s visit to Brussels.

It should be noted that the visit program of the Party of Regions parliamentary faction Head V.Yanukovych also includes a reserved time for his meeting with NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer.

http://www.partyofregions.org.ua/eng/pr-east-west/47c2d7ae5481a/


Anatoly Kinakh: Huge latent funds deficit at the rate of 4.7% GDP is inherent in the 2008 state budget

22.02.2008, 17:55

People’s Deputy, the Party of Regions parliamentary faction member, the USPP president Anatoly Kinakh noted that huge latent funds deficit at the rate of 4,7% GDP was inherent in the 2008 state budget, ‘RBC-Ukraine’ informs.

http://www.partyofregions.org.ua/eng/pr-east-west/47bef0547900a/


Iryna Gorina: Our leaders are wise enough to reach an agreement, define key priorities of the state development and begin profound work as soon as possible

22.02.2008, 17:45

People’s Deputy, the Party of Regions parliamentary faction member Iryna Gorina on the air of TV channel ‘Rada’ stated that a covenant on overcoming the political crisis that is planned to be signed by parliamentary factions leaders, should be based on agreements about key priorities of the state development.

http://www.partyofregions.org.ua/eng/pr-east-west/47beee185cfe6/


Yuriy Miroshnichenko: The Prime Minister, understanding the failure of her Moscow intentions, has decided to launch repressions within our country now

22.02.2008, 16:05

A comment of People’s Deputy, the Party of Regions parliamentary faction member Yuriy Miroshnichenko about certain actions of the Prime Minister in the sphere of gas relations:

- Yulia Tymoshenko’s efforts to inspect agreements between the President of Ukraine and the President of Russia, her attempt to create her own corruption scheme of gas relations between Ukraine and Russia taking into account the «EESU», «ISD» and «Itera» interests (representatives of which took part in Moscow negotiations) proved to be vain.

http://www.partyofregions.org.ua/eng/pr-east-west/47bed6c75e269/


Alexander Stoyan: The coalition should understand that we are the force that is to be considered

20.02.2008, 12:55

People’s Deputy, the Party of Regions parliamentary faction member Alexander Stoyan in an interview to ‘SN-Stolichnye Novosti’ newspaper stated that the coalition members gradually begin to understand that the opposition’s opinion should be considered and that compromise is inevitable:

- I wish people were socially protected. But one should take into account the state budget means. I think that we will return to it again when we pass the blocking stage. Our blockade does not impede the budget as it had been adopted earlier. As for the Government, it works very slowly in the view of having declared social programs that are practically impossible to fulfill. In particular, it is impossible to reimburse debts on soviet deposits, to pay support for mothers with children, to considerably increase salary for military men and much more. I am fully aware of it as I am head of the parliamentary subcommittee on social standards and social policy. I have already analyzed the programs of all political forces.

http://www.partyofregions.org.ua/eng/pr-east-west/47bc0733e87d3/

Former Naftogaz Chief on Stabilnist, Shyrka, Patriotism

Ukrayinska Pravda quotes from an RFE/RL interview with the former chief of Naftogaz, MP Yuriy Boiko, PRU, widely believed to be RosUkrEnergo’s agent of influence.

On the PRU's slipping approval ratings:
As of today, we’re not losing approval ratings. In any given society, if a party goes into the opposition, some people will stray. It’s normal practice. And we feel quite all right about this.

On Baloha’s plans to strike out on his own:
You know, nobody has spoken about this officially. In our turbulent political situation, rumors abound. I believe that the vast majority of them have no foundation. Well, perhaps some of our partners, our colleagues, are planning to launch a new political project. It’s the right of every person — to launch a new political project.

On Baloha-Akhmetov relations:
You know, big business has to cooperate with government. And the fact that it cooperates — if this benefits the country, benefits stabilnist — then it’s normal. If it benefits stabilnist, then it’s normal. And whatever political decisions out there are being made by Baloha, I believe that right now he’s realizing that the ruling coalition in its present format — it doesn’t work.

Is it normal? It’s normal because they live in the same country. They are all patriots because they’re not leaving the country. They work and live here.

On the speculation of having lobbied the idea of replacing Akhmetov with Firtash as the chief party financier:
I believe there’s no way a person can approach the party leader and make an offer like this, so it’s all rumors. I’ve already answered this question today for one of the reporters. The answer is short: It’s all rumors and hearsay. It didn’t happen.

Whew! Now we know who the real patriots are! They work and live this country. They can’t live without stabilnist. And nothing short of a shyrkanova works for them.

Sources:
http://www.pravda.com.ua/news/2008/2/26/72151.htm
http://www.day.kiev.ua/img/156368/13-5-2.jpg

$179.5

In 2008, Ukraine will pay $179.5 per 1,000 cubic meters of natural gas, Gazprom Chairman Aleksey Miller and Ukrainian Energy Minister Yuriy Boiko agreed today in Moscow.

Sources:
http://www.pravda.com.ua/news/2007/12/4/67828.htm

McDonbas 2: Yanukovych Cabinet Member Calls U.S. Dollar “Our National Currency”

"Ми не допустимо обвалу долара. Хто, що б з експертів не говорив, – ми ці політичні страшилки чуємо вже давно, – ми захистимо свою національну валюту, і не допустимо її здешевлення".

We will not allow a dollar collapse. Whatever the experts say — and we’ve been hearing these political bugaboos for a long time — we will protect our national currency and will not allow its devaluation.

— Yuriy Boiko, Minister of Energy

Whose national currency is he talking about? Are we to assume that the Federal Reserve has members of the Yanukovych Cabinet on its payrolls?

Source: http://www.pravda.com.ua/news/2007/9/25/64354.htm

Hurricane Yuliya Makes Landfall on Energy Mogul

In a heated talk show on Channel 1+1, Ukraine’s unemployed PM and re-employed Energy Minister pulled each other’s hair.

Armed with stacks of confidential papers, Yuliya Tymoshenko and Yuriy Boiko staged a revelations-packed duel that kept the audience guessing as to whose side carried more truth.

Since no polygraph tests were taken in the studio, the X-Files catchphrase “The truth is out there” might be useful in describing the combatants’ credentials.
Still, most would agree that, on the battlefield, Tymo scored more points.
Whether it was the allegations she made or the finesse with which she played the heartstrings of her fans, it was Boiko who got his balls busted.

Sure, he went over her past dealings with the now extinct EESU gas trading empire she owned, but that was hardly anything new. (The most popular adage holds that, as PM, she wrote off some UAH 8 bn worth of EESU debt.)
What was new? The Gas Princess proudly produced the minutes of a RosUkrEnergo AG meeting dating back to 2004, which linked Boiko,then CEO of Naftohaz to the management of that secretive company.

Few experts would reject out of hand the proposition that Tymo may have skeletons in her closet. It is equally certain that, taking the West as a yardstick — with the exception of Hungary and Israel — any allegations of this magnitude regarding officeholders should be followed by their immediate resignation. Nothing of the kind transpired in Ukraine.

And that’s the distance our home-grown Western integrators should keep in mind.