Dear journalists!
Today’s our concluding meeting I would like to begin with the words of thanks to you.
Without journalists, their principle position it would be difficult to introduce democratic principles into daily realias of the country’s life.
Today I would like to stress once more that freedom of the press as well as other rights and freedoms of people is the highest value for our Government and in 2007 we will strengthen and develop democratic principles in Government’s activity.
Summing up this year I emphasize that strengthening democracy which we try to introduce in every step of the Government is our most significant achievement.
In particular, political reform plays a special role in developing democracy. The political reform gave us an opportunity to break authoritarian power.
The year of 2006 will go down in history of Ukraine when for the first time during Ukraine’s independence the power has been formed on the basis of parliamentarism.
According to the results of democratic and transparent elections to the Verkhovna Rada, which have been recognized throughout the world, a parliamentary coalition and coalition Government have been formed.
I have already told at the session of the Cabinet of Ministers today that we have practically “jumped into the boat on the spur of the moment”.
This “boat of economic revival and stability” could hardly leave Ukraine.
But we were in time. And in five months we have succeeded to efficiently undertake a complex of anticrisis measures and provide social stability and economic development. Today all basic economic showings demonstrate a positive dynamics.
The Government has timely prevented deficits and crisis in most receptive markets – grain and fuel-energy. We are timely prepared for winter.
We have also grounded stability for the next year. Ukraine will be provided with gas at the most optimal prices.
Especially, I would like to underscore that Government found a fitting way out concerning housing and communal tariffs increased by our predecessors.
Under unfair, framed-up charges we did our best to alleviate the impact of tariff increase, introduced by our predecessors, on the standard of living of not sufficiently provided people.
And we have found mechanisms to compensate expenditures at the cost of state for unprotected social strata.
I stress that we did not resort to idle talks, kept from populist discussions.
We were just looking for a way out. And we have succeeded.
In my opinion, protection of the most affected categories of people from consequences of tariff increase – is one of the greatest achievements of our Government in social sphere.
It’s a great pleasure for me to note that we have found an opportunity to increase social payments, pensions and wages in April and October of 2007 that we have provided these increases in the 2007 budget and we are confidently following the way of improving the life of our citizens.
I would like to say that those measures which we intend to take next year concerning economic revival will be positively reflected upon people’s standard of living.
We provide a basis for such policy in the result of which improvement of people’s life will depend on improvement of national economic showings.
In other words, every one will see the results of Government’s activity. But five months are not enough for this result.
During this period we succeeded in preventing crisis, prepared for winter, provided our country with energy carriers, patched up budget holes, audited all economic spheres.
In a word, we had time to stop decline and take the first steps for stabilization and development.
It is very important that we have initiated a system, principle and purposeful struggle against corruption. And the most important that it is not a campaign but a concrete program based on overcoming the reasons of corruption.
It is a top priority task for the Government. Struggle against corruption is one of priorities of Government’s activity in 2007.
And we have already taken the first steps in this direction. The Government adopted a number of decisions on this issue and joined the World Program on Struggle against Corruption.
I mean the Inter-Government Agreement on introduction of the “Threshold Program” for Ukraine aimed at reducing corruption in the state sector signed during my visit to the USA with Millennium Challenge Corporation.
The year of 2007 shall secure achievements of the last 5 months and keep on reforms.
Among the problems we pose for 2007 are establishment of such relations between the regions, regions and center, between the people which would not put any obstacles for business, economic and human relations.
Ukraine is a House of Unity. Ukraine is a state of equal opportunities, a country where abidance to rights and freedoms of people is a top priority. Ukraine - without poverty.
These words of my vision of the Ukraine-2007 and further prospects are supported with concrete plans and calculations.
Determined priorities and mechanisms of implementation. It is impossible to tell about it in a short opening address.
With this purpose I am ready to answer your questions. Thank you for your civil position and congratulate you, dear journalists, on New Year and Christmas.
Спасибі за Вашу активність, Ваше питання буде розглянуто модераторами найближчим часом
