Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko has said that only comprehensive reforms can bring the country out of the economic crisis.
“The incorrect ideas behind the [government’s] current economic and budget policy are leading Ukraine to disaster,” the president said at a meeting with the heads of regional state administrations in Kyiv on Thursday.
Yushchenko asked the parliament, the government, political forces, and regional governors to elaborate and propose a comprehensive economic policy that could help the country overcome the crisis.
“I’m a great supporter of all economic reforms, starting even from today,” the president said, adding that the crisis is the best time to carry out radical reforms.
Yushchenko forecast two options for the development of the country’s situation, either the holding of radical reforms or finally entering “electoral Bacchanalia.” According to him, the second option, which has recently developed “very dynamically,” will lead to deeper crisis.
According to the president, the current state of the Ukrainian financial system will cost Ukraine a great deal.
“It won’t take one or two years to return to the economic indicators that Ukraine had several months ago. Nobody will work off a 23% fall in GDP in two or three months,” the president said.
Yushchenko also noted that the economic crisis in Ukraine had mostly been influenced by internal factors.
“Reforms, reforms, and reforms [are required],” he said.
