President planted trees

Victor Yushchenko took part in a nationwide ceremony “The Green Sprout of the Future.” The event took place at the sixtieth kilometer of the Kyiv-Odessa highway to mark Environment Day.

When asked about the aim of the ceremony, the Head of State replied, “There are many trees that were planted under Peter the Great and Catherine II and in the 18^th-19^th centuries, so now it is time to plant trees of the independent Ukraine.”

Yushchenko also urged all politicians to participate in such ceremonies.

Then he spoke about his intention to develop roads in Ukraine and reiterated that the government was going to spend six billion hryvnyas to fix and asphalt roads in 2006.  

Kyiv Governor Evhen Zhovtyak, Road Administration Head Vadym Gurzhos, and Humanitarian Premier Vyacheslav Kyrylenko attended the ceremony, President's press office reported.

Victor Yushchenko and his wife also took part in a ceremony to plant trees in the village of Maidanivka (Cherkassy region). The event was held by the State Forestry Office to plant about one million trees throughout Ukraine.

Addressing those present, the Chief of State said it was important to protect the environment and plant forests in Ukraine. He also thanked all for joining the initiative and encouraging children to make our country a better place to live. Mr. Yushchenko added that it was time for all generations to do this great job of planting new forests.

Victor Chervony, Head of the State Forestry Office, Oleksandr Cherevko, Cherkassy Governor, Pavlo Ihnatenko, Environmental Minister, Borys Tarasyuk, Foreign Minister, Anatoly Hrytsenko, Defense Minister, Yuriy Pavlenko, Youth and Sports Minister, Ihor Likhovy, Culture Minister, Victor Baloha, Emergency Minister, Yuriy Lutsenko, Interior Minister, Volodymyr Shandra, Industrial Minister, Victor Topolov, Coal Minister, Anatoly Kinakh, NSDCU Secretary, and Oleksandr Kireyev, Tax Office Head, took part in the ceremony.

Besides, Victor Yushchenko and his wife visited the Taras Shevchenko Motherland Museum Complex in the village of Moryntsi. They laid flowers at the monument to Kateryna Shevchenko, the poet’s mother, and visited his house and the local chapel.

Then the President took part in a ceremony to plant cherry and apple trees on the slope next to the house of the great Kobzar.