Novoozerne village, October 8 (Interfax-Ukraine) - Ukrainian President Viktor Yuschenko has said there is a need to meet with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, and it is his duty to do so as the head of state rather than his wish.
Yuschenko said this at a press conference in the village of Novoozerne on Thursday, asked if he wanted to meet with his Russian counterpart in Chisinau at the upcoming summit of the CIS states.
“It is not my wish, it is my duty, as I am the president of the country, and it is my duty to keep a neighborly dialog going with every neighbor. There is no other way for events to proceed,” Yuschenko said.
“The question is: who sets this tone in the relations, a nation or international practice? And will such development of communication not be a humiliation, an ultimatum for the whole nation? Or are we talking about new principles of organizing our relations, or is it a case of an empire talking to its colony?” Yuschenko added.
“Of course, as Ukrainian President I will not let such tone to be assumed when talking to the independent state of Ukraine,” said the president, alluding to Medvedev’s August letter to him.
In his letter to Yuschenko on August 11 Medvedev criticized Ukraine’s anti-Russian policy said that the arrival of the new Russian ambassador to Kyiv is postponed. Later he said he hoped that this letter and the decision to postpone the ambassador’s arrival will make the Ukrainian government consider reviewing its policy.
Yuschenko’s reply to Medvedev on August 13 refuted accusations of the anti-Russian policy and expressed a hope for a constructive dialog with Moscow. Later Yuschenko called on his Russian counterpart to step up dialog between Kyiv and Moscow.
In late September Ukraine announced that the two presidents could meet on the sidelines of the CIS summit in Chisinau on October 9, however Russian Presidential Press Secretary Natalya Timakova said yesterday that a meeting with the Ukrainian president is not on Medvedev’s schedule during his visit to the Moldovan capital.
