President Viktor Yanukovych today called on the nation's parliament to support a number of laws required for signing the Association Agreement with the European Union this fall. However, Yanukovych failed to mention the major stumbling block to signing the landmark deal – the continued imprisonment of the president's top rival, Yulia Tymoshenko.
The former prime
minister’s freedom is viewed in the West as an essential precondition
for signing the Association Agreement. Her release for medical
treatment in Germany is being negotiated by the special mission of
former Polish President Alexander Kwasniewski and former European
Parliament President Pat Cox, who were also present at the
parliament’s opening session.
Yanukovych claims he has
no legal powers to release Tymoshenko to Germany.
The Ukraine-EU signing can
potentially take place on Nov. 27 in Vilnius, Lithuania, at an
Eastern Partnership summit if Ukraine makes enough progress in
meeting conditions set by the 28-nation Western bloc.
Ukraine has committed to
address a number of legal issues, including approval of laws to reform
the law enforcement and prosecutor’s office, as well as support
anti-discrimination laws and address a number of shortcomings in the
election legislation. However, the only item on the agenda of the
first day of the parliament was a measure to lower customs tariffs on
imports, a measure demanded by the EU as part of a free-trade
package.
“This is the homework
Ukraine’s parliament has to complete before the Vilnius summut to enable Ukraine to sign
the Association Agreement and the Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade
Agreement,” the president said during his address to parliament,
which reconvened after a summer recess on Sept. 3. “The association
is not needed for the authorities or the opposition, it’s needed for Ukraine.”
The president made a rare
appearance at the opening session of parliament to encourage both the
pro-presidential faction and the opposition to unite their effort in
advancing the European agenda.
Some factions did not need
encouragement. The small but visible faction of Vitali Klitschko’s
Ukrainian Democratic Alliance for Reform showed up wearing red polo
shirts, proclaiming that “Ukraine is Europe.”
Klitschko welcomed the president’s appearance in Rada, but complained that there was no dialog – a grievance that was later repeated by two fellow leaders of the opposition. Klitschko also said that the signing with Europe is “100 percent dependent on the president.”
“If the agreement in Vilnius is not signed, the president will be 100 percent responsible for that,” he said.
Klitschko, as well as
other leaders of the opposition, visited Brussels last week to
proclaim their support for European integration. Andriy Klyuev, head
of the National Security Council and the person in charge of European
issues in the government, also visited Brussels last week.
Batkivshchyna,
Tymoshenko’s bloc, parliament’s second largest faction now led by
former Verkhovna Rada speaker Arseniy Yatsenyuk, did not let
Yanukovych forget about their imprisoned leader. They wore white
t-shirts that said “Free Yulia!”
Yatseniuk visited
Brussels last week as a part of the opposition’s delegation, and
pledged support for the pro-European agenda.
One issue in discussion in
Brussels was the brief, six-day trade war launched by Russia in
August, when imports of about 50 Ukrainian companies were stalled at
the Russian border through intensive checks by the customs. Russia
remains the biggest single trading partner for Ukraine.
Several Russian officials
said the sanctions were a warning for Ukraine of things to come
should it sign up to a free trade zone with Europe, which is a part
of the Association Agreement deal.
Sergei Glaziev, President
Vladimir Putin’s adviser on economy, reiterated the message in his
interview to Kommersant daily on Sept. 3. “By signing the AA
(Association Agreement), Ukraine loses independence and ceases to be
not just a strategic, but even a full-value partner (for Russia),”
Glaziev said.
In his speech in
parliament, Yanukovych attempted to send a message to Russia that it
has nothing to worry about in case of Ukraine’s signing the
agreement. He said Russian fears that were “baseless” and that
Ukraine’s trade agreement with Europe will “open new possibilities
for mutual cooperation,” including cooperation with the Eurasian
Union, the successor of Customs Union of Russia, Belarus and
Kazakhstan that will start operating as of 2014.
The Russians were not the
only group to object to Ukraine’s strive for Europe. Several hundred
people rallied in front of parliament, protesting against a law that
would ban discrimination, including that based on sexual orientation.
Its approval is a part of requirements that would enable Ukraine to
sign the agreement. The protesters carried slogans like “Gay parade
is a road to hell.”
Yanukovych said that
approval of the required legislation will help Ukraine reform the
system of state governance and raise social standards, as well as
achieved transparency of state finances. He said the task ahead are
complicated, he said, “but we have both the time and power to solve
them.”
Kyiv Post deputy chief
editor Katya Gorchinskaya can be reached at
gorchinskaya@kyivpost.com.
