Japan to give aid at 110 thousand dollars to Ukraine

Japan to give aid at 110 thousand dollars to Ukraine

The Government of Japan made a decision today on giving the humanitarian aid at 110 thousand dollars to people suffered from the flood in Western Ukraine.

The Second Secretary of Embassy of Japan to Ukraine said this to an UNIAN correspondent.

According to his words, Japan will give to people, who suffered in Western Ukraine tents, blankets, generators and also cleaners for potable water.

He also said that the freights with the humanitarian aid has to be delivered to Boryspil airport on August 3-4.

He also added the Emergency Ministry of Ukraine will be busy with distributing of the aid among the regions suffered from the flood.

He also added that decision on giving the humanitarian aid was made because of development of the bilateral relations between Ukraine and Japan.

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Yulia Tymoshenko will write for Economist Magazine

I will be very interested in reading this article.

Yulia Tymoshenko will write for Economist Magazine

As the Cabinet’s press service reports, Prime Minister of Ukraine Yulia Tymoshenko received an invitation from the Economist Magazine to write an article on the subject of “Ukraine and its role in Europe” for special edition “The World in 2009”. This was disclosed by Vice Prime Minister for European and International Integration Hryhoriy Nemyria at a briefing. According to him, this special edition is an annual edition of the Economist Magazine distributed in 100 countries of the world in 20 languages. 
 
As the Vice Premier notes this year the authors of articles for “The World in 2009” edition were President of France Nicolas Sarkozy, UN Secretary General Mr. Ban Ki-moon, Speaker of the United States House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi, mayor of New-York Michael Bloomberg, UEFA President Michel Platini. 
 
‘For “The World in 2009” special edition of the Economist Magazine an article of Prime Minister of Ukraine Yulia Tymoshenko will be written that is very significant from the point of view of strengthening image of Ukraine in the world as European state which undoubtedly has European prospects,’ said Hryhoriy Nemyria.
 
ForUm

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President of Ukraine warns country's Premier against interference with his agreements with Azerbaijan

President of Ukraine warns country's Premier against interference with his agreements with Azerbaijan

President of Ukraine Viktor Yuschenko considers that the Cabinet of Ministers has no right to prohibit to Ukrtransneft company to conclude contracts on supply and transportation of oil from Azerbaijan by Odessa-Brody pipeline, said he at the opening of the session of the Ukrainian Council of National Security and Defense.

"We must not allow to pass incompetent decisions about suspension of the activity of any legal establishment if there are intergovernmental commitments. This is not the competence of powers but the right of an economic establishment", explained the president.

At the same time, he noted that Cabinet of Ministers is politicizing the issue of Odessa-Brody launching in the Brody direction, which do not comply with the commitments Ukraine has undertaken. "A person, who speaks of corruption more than others, can be a jobster himself as a guilty mind is never at ease", noted the President.

He voiced discontent with the actions of the Cabinet of Ministers which hampers differentiation of oil supplies and ensuring of energy dependence of Ukraine. 

He noted that the use of Odessa-Brody pipeline in the Odessa direction does not bring the dividends, which can be gained under its direct use. "We are transiting 5-6 mln tons of oil per year, use the potential of the pipeline by 50% and it does not ensure diversification of supplies", said the Ukrainian President.

It should be noted that previously the Cabinet of Ministers prohibited to Ukrtransneft to sign independent contracts with the oil reginery Galichina (Lvov) and Neftekhimik Prikarpatya about supply of Caspian oil in the reverse direction by the Odessa-Brody pipeline before a separate decision of the government is passed.

Prime Minister Yuliya Timoshenko explained the decision with an intention to prevent corruption.

ow 2 Western Ukraine plants are ready to buy 5-7 mln tons of crude. Earlier Galichina and Neftekhimik Prikarpatya submitted the draft agreements on oil transportation by Odessa-Brody pipeline in Brody direction. 

The oil refineries will pay $68,000,000 each to Ukrtransneft every year.

On May 22 Ukrtransneft signed a contract with Mero CR (Czechia) on cooperation in implementation of the project on oil transportation by Odessa-Brody pipeline via Slovakia to the Czechian oil refinery in Krapuli.

Ukraine plans to hold a test supply of 44,000 tons of light Ukrainian oil by the said route.

Currently, Odessa-Brody pipeline is operated in Odessa direction.

/proUa/

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Ukraine's Central Bank Buys Pounds For The First Time

For the first time, Ukraine's Central Bank bought pounds instead of just dollars.  It has alway updated the exchange rate which was at $5.05 for a while, is now at $4.84.  Seems like their policies are going to change.

Ukraine C.Bank buys pounds for first time

KIEV, July 29 (Reuters) - Ukraine's central bank, resolved to lessen the hryvnia's link to the dollar, made its first bid for British pounds on the interbank market on Tuesday, buying the currency at 9.4376 hryvnias.
Dealers said the purchases enlivened the market and succeeded in boosting the U.S. dollar against the hryvnia, bringing its trading level closer to the official rate.
The bank last week bid twice for euros in its first-ever purchases on the interbank market of a currency other than dollars. Bank officials say the moves are intended to optimise reserves and allow for the development of different segments of the market.
"This policy is certainly better than no policy at all," said one dealer. "They talked about playing with a currency basket and that's what they're doing."
Valery Lytvytsky, a senior adviser to the bank's chairman, last week said the purchases were a move towards a more complex formula for establishing the exchange rate and the creation of a currency basket against the hryvnia.
The dollar climbed on the market to 4.68-4.7 hryvnias to the dollar against a starting price of 4.64-4.65.
"After the bank set such a rate for the pound, the dollar rate rose," said one dealer.
Another said: "When you calculate through cross rates, whatever currency the central bank buys it is still higher than the market rate for the dollar on the previous day, so the market rate eventually climbs upward to those rates.
"Many banks have dollar positions, so they are quite happy to sell at 4.68."
Dealers said they believed that speculative moves against the dollar dating from May-June were receding and that the U.S. currency would probably rise on the interbank market to 4.8 by next month.
For three years the central bank kept the hryvnia in a tight corridor of 5.0-5.06 to the dollar, buying and selling currency as required. It abandoned that policy earlier this year and revalued the hryvnia at 4.85.
It has since adjusted that rate several times, with the latest rate, valid from Wednesday, July 30, standing at 4.8448. (Reporting by Natalya Zinets; Writing by Ron Popeski; Editing by Gerrard Raven)

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President Yushchenko's Poisoning Suspect, Zhvania, wants Impeachment?

Some more news on President Yushchenko's Poisoning Suspect, Zhvania. Apparently he wants Impeachment of President Yushchenko. Why am I not surprised? Is he now afraid of what is to become of him once President Yushchenko ends the case and reveals all the truth? Well, he should be!

Lutsenko refuses to comment on Zhvania’s statement

Interior Minister of Ukraine Yuri Lutsenko refused to comment on the statement of member of parliament David Zhvania (OU-PSD faction), who demanded impeachment of President of Ukraine Victor Yushchenko.

According to an UNIAN correspondent, Interior Minister of Ukraine Yuri Lutsenko claimed this to a news conference on Friday.

At the same time, the Minister stressed that the public conflict between former allies Victor Yushchenko and David Zhvania hampers state interests of Ukraine.

“I do not like political, state, moral aspects of this conflict. It is intolerable, considering state interests. And, being an Interior Minister, who is subordinate to the President of Ukraine, I will abstain from commenting on statements of D.Zhvania”, Yuri Lutsenko said.

He also claimed he disapproves Zhvania’s behavior at interrogations in the Prosecutor’s General office, as well as his incorrect statements about the investigator of the case.

As UNIAN reported earlier, OU-PSD faction lawmaker D.Zhvania claimed that President of Ukraine Victor Yushchenko was not poisoned with dioxin. According to him, the results of analyses were counterfeited. 

On July 16, the Prosecutor’s General Office invited D.Zhvania through mass media to give evidence on the case of Victor Yushchenko’s poisoning. 

According to PGO, D.Zhvania “was present at interrogations only twice (on 15.02.2008 and 20.02.2008), the interrogations were not finished. After that, he did not respond to any of 10 PGO summons, without giving any grounds for his absence”. 

On July 23, D.Zhvania left the building of the Prosecutor’s General Office approximately in 10 minutes after he entered there to testify as a witness. According to the lawmaker, he left the interrogation because, in his opinion, investigators began to ask him questions that were clarified for many times already at previous interrogations. He described the interrogation as “a regular act of mockery”, and the format of the interrogation as a “format of schizophrenia”. 

The Presidential Secretariat assessed the refusal of David Zhvania to testify on the case of poisoning of Victor Yushchenko as an impudent move violating the criminal-procedural legislation of Ukraine, and surmised that he “directly or indirectly “helped” Yushchenko to dinner with poison”.

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Man Receives Ukraine’s Highest Honor

A very nice story about a man who helped a lot of countries with medical equipment, along with other medical things, and Ukraine is one of those countries. Now Ukraine is thanking him with Ukraine's Highest Honor.

Conneaut man receives Ukraine’s highest honor

CONNEAUT — Medical missions of mercy that have improved the health for many people in Eastern Europe have earned the Rev. Stephen Szilagyi of Conneaut the highest civilian honor bestowed by the Ukraine. 


Szilagyi,74, was given the country’s Order For Merit 3rd Class during a ceremony July 8 at the Ukrainian embassy in Washington D.C. The medal was bestowed by Ambassador Oleh Shamshur in a ceremony attended by the Szilagyis’ family and embassy officials and staff.

Szilagyi, now retired, is founder and executive director of Sharing America’s Resources Aboard, which has provided medical equipment, supplies and expertise to the Ukraine and other countries for more than a decade.

The medal, authorized by President Viktor Yushchenko, was given in recognition of Szilagyi’s “significant personal contribution to the strengthening of Ukraine’s authority in the world, promotion of its history and cultural heritage,” according to a statement from the embassy.

“He has been very active in helping to establish long-term cooperation between the medical institutions of the two countries,” according to the statement.

Order For Merit 3rd Class is given to “renowned state, political and public figures, men of arts, men of letters, scientists (and others),” according to documents.

The medal is the latest in a series of accolades given Szilagyi and his wife, Jean, for their work with SARA, founded in 1996. Through their efforts, doctors in the Ukraine, Hungary and other locations around the world have received training from American physicians and surgeons on the latest medical techniques.

Tons and tons of surplus medical equipment, including ambulances, have been dispatched to many corners of the globe. Medicine, too, have been sent to foreign hospitals.

SARA has also arranged for people, including children, to visit America for specialized treatment not available in their homeland.

Szilagyi, born in Hungary and now a naturalized American citizen, enjoys unprecedented access to government officials in Eastern Europe. One telephone call from Szilagyi can slice through red tape and bureaucracy.

“It’s more important to know the president’s chief of staff than the president himself,” he said, laughing.

Szilagyi wishes he had the same influence here in the United States. With few exceptions, state and national representatives seem uninterested in assisting SARA, he said.

“I am somewhat disappointed that with our good deeds we have not heard from the White House,” Szilagyi said. “I would enjoy meeting President Bush and hearing him say ‘How can I help you?’”

The big exception has been U.S. Sen. George Voinovich, who has interceded on behalf of SARA in the past, Szilagyi said.

Szilagyi’s partner in SARA and life is wife Jean, who he said deserves tremendous credit for the program’s accomplishments. “I’m very grateful to the person who helps me the most — my wife,” he said.

Story Continues on Site

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President Yushchenko's Poisoning: Suspect

A little bit ago I posted an article about President Yushchenko's poisoning and I expressed how grateful I was that the incident was coming back to life and that maybe, just maybe, we were going to know who was behind the poisoning and hopefully that person would be prosecuted.

Well, looks like some of my wishes are coming true. This article talks about a suspect. David Zhvania is the godfather of President Yushchenko's youngest son and is believed to be responsible fort eh poisoning. As you can probably tell, Zhvania was a close family friend. Right now Zhvania is a deputy for a pro-Yushchenko party which I guess makes him seem like less of a suspect, but I think it's all a cover up. Either way, President Yushchenko stated that very soon the case will come to and end and a lot should be revealed.

Read the article below, it's really worth it!

Ukraine's president blames former friend for poisoning

KYIV - Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko said Thursday he believed a former friend was behind the poisoning that disfigured his face and almost killed him during his 2004 election.

Asked during a televised press conference whether David Zhvania, the godfather of his youngest son, was responsible for the poisoning, Yushchenko said: "I think yes. And that is putting it softly."

Then a presidential election candidate against Moscow-backed rival Viktor Yanukovych, Yushchenko fell seriously ill on Sept. 6, 2004. Austrian doctors three months later said it was dioxin poisoning.

The incident helped foment Ukraine's Orange Revolution protests with which Yushchenko and his allies overturned the result of a rigged election that initially named Yanukovych as the winner.

On Wednesday, Yushchenko deputy Ihor Pushkin pointed the finger at Zhvania, who has been questioned by prosecutors as a witness, saying "he insisted on organizing the dinner . . . after which Yushchenko fell ill."

Zhvania, now a deputy for a pro-Yushchenko party, has denied his former friend was poisoned with dioxin, telling the BBC last month that he was the victim of food poisoning and pancreatitis.

On Tuesday, Yushchenko - whose face is still disfigured by the poisoning - was himself questioned about the poisoning by prosecutors for over four hours.

He said the investigation was coming to an end and that "amazing things" would be unveiled when it ends.

© AFP 2008

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Ukraine & Russia Agree On Natural Gas Prices

Surprising to hear, but it happened. Looks like gas prices are going up, but I don't think its worst case yet.

Ukraine, Russia agree on natural gas prices

 KIEV, July 23 (Xinhua) -- Ukraine has reached an agreement with Russian state energy giant Gazprom on prices for gas deliveries in 2009, Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko said Wednesday. 

  "We have found a way to set natural gas prices for next year," Tymoshenko told a regular cabinet meeting, adding that the final gas prices for 2009 would be announced after Gazprom ended talks with Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan. 

  Previously, Gazprom has threatened to raise prices for Ukraine to European levels of more than 400 U.S. dollars per 1,000 cubic meters from the current 179.5 dollars. 

  Tymoshenko said market gas prices would be introduced for Ukraine gradually over the next few years. 

  "There will be no shock over a sharp rise in gas prices," Tymoshenko added. 

  Ukraine sits on the main transit route for Russian gas exports to Europe, accounting for the transmission of a quarter of the continent's gas supply. 

  In 2006, a dispute over gas prices between Kiev and Moscow sentjitters among European customers after Gazprom cut all gas supplies to Ukraine. 

Editor: Mu Xuequan

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The German Chancellor's Views about NATO and EU for Ukraine

Seems that the German Chancellor, Angela Merkel, is fine with Ukraine joining the NATO and EU.  However it seems that she does not want it to happen just yet.  Take a look:

German OK on Ukraine's Closer NATO, EU Ties

Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel visited Kyiv on Monday on a one-day state visit. During a joint press conference with President Viktor Yushchenko, Chancellor Merkel declared that the status of Ukraine in NATO, as stated in the Bucharest NATO summit, was not in doubt, saying, "In Bucharest, it was stated and I now repeat: Ukraine will become a member of NATO." The Chancellor also spoke in favor of granting Ukraine associate status vis-a-vis the European Union, though she pointed out that this did not mean that Ukraine was being offered EU membership itself.

We see Chancellor Merkel's statements, especially concerning NATO, as positive for Ukraine's Euro-Atlantic ambitions. Previous comments on Ukraine regarding NATO had been more reserved, and Germany's lack of warmth on the matter had been regarded as a major hurdle with which the Ukrainian government had to come to terms. As the Chancellor herself pointed out, EU associate membership would firm up Ukraine's current relations in the light of new agreements.

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Comment about Germany's views below

German Chancellor Visits Ukraine

On Monday, July 21st the German Chancellor, Angela Merkel, visited Kyiv, Ukraine.  Some good news, some bad news.  She didn't really talk about NATO and implied that EU does not have enough room for us.  Still, a good event.

German Chancellor Puts the Brakes on Ukraine's EU Hopes

In Ukraine for the first time on Monday, July 21, German Chancellor Angela Merkel dampened the country's hopes for a quick path to EU membership. She did express support for an association agreement, however. 

During her short stay in Kyiv, the German chancellor said that Ukraine would likely sign a so-called Stabilization and Association Agreement (SAA) before the French EU presidency expires at the end of this year. 

The deal is expected to top the agenda of an EU-Ukraine summit taking place in September. 

While an SAA is an important step toward membership in the 27-member European Union, Merkel urged Ukrainians "not to confuse this with conditions for joining the EU," pointing out that the bloc's capacity for expansion was limited. 

During her day of talks with President Viktor Yushchenko and Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko, Merkel said that Ukraine was an important partner for Germany and that Germany would offer Kyiv support in pursuing its reform plans. 

Merkel keeps quiet on NATO

Ukraine's Sehodnia newspaper had reported ahead of Monday's talks that the German leader was likely to leave the issue of NATO-membership on the back burner, which indeed she did, calling it "a matter between Ukraine and the NATO member states."

Germany has been hesitant about preparing Ukrainian membership in NATO

However, at a NATO summit in April, Merkel and French President Nicolas Sarkozy had opposed efforts by Poland and the Baltic states to set a specific timetable for eventual Ukrainian membership in the alliance. 

Ukrainian media attacked Merkel and Sarkozy, saying Paris and Berlin feared a Russian shut-off of natural gas supplies more than they supported bringing democratic Ukraine into NATO.

Russia has been outspoken in its opposition to the NATO aspirations of Ukraine's government, and threatened military and economic retaliation were Ukraine ever to join the alliance.

Merkel on Monday made an indirect reference to the Kremlin, saying that "other countries that are not NATO members, and who do not have any relationship to this question (of Ukrainian membership) should not discuss or consider it." 

In December, NATO is slated to discuss possible first steps toward Ukraine's membership in the alliance.  

Securing a stable energy supply

Ukraine is an important transit country for westward-bound Russian gas

The need for Kyiv to sign a long-term agreement with Moscow guaranteeing stable natural gas deliveries to Europe via Ukrainian pipelines was another top discussion point.

Ukraine is critical to the security of Europe's energy import network, as most of Russia's westward-running oil and gas pipelines pass through the country. 

President Yushchenko promised to fulfill Ukraine's commitment to reliably deliver gas from Russia, but also warned of "political blackmail" from Russia and others in light of upcoming price negotiations. 

In past years, Kyiv and Moscow have disagreed repeatedly on gas and oil shipment terms, leading to a two-day cut-off of Russian gas to Europe in January 2006. 

DW staff (kjb)

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