President holding NSDC meeting on domestic and foreign policy

President Viktor Yanukovych held a meeting of National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine. 

"Today we discuss issues of strategic importance: the draft Law on foundations of domestic and foreign policy. This document should identify key principles and priorities of public policy for a long term.

We must admit that all these years, the issue was not resolved at the legislative level.

I think the legislative initiative on foundations of external and domestic policy is system-formative and regulates policy of the state regardless of the internal political situation. It is very important.

We consider this draft at a NSDC meeting because of the fact that further delay in resolution of this issue poses a threat to national security and national interests of Ukraine," President Yanukovych said opening the meeting.

According to him, the adoption of this law will finally allow the authorities bringing order to scattered and inconsistent legislation.

The Law on foundations of foreign and domestic policy, he thinks, is the first and vital step towards systemic reforms in all areas of our life.

The proposed bill defines foundations of domestic policy. It provides clear formulation of the principles, on which further reforming of political and social institutions of the state will be based.

Among the priority goals of domestic policy is achieving social consensus, broad internal dialogue and social-political stability.

The foundations of internal policy impose certain obligations on public authorities, which is very important, the president claims.

"In the draft we clearly identify the highest priority of strategic European integration course of Ukraine. This is the primary vector of our development, which determines the content of social transformation and basic orientation of our foreign and domestic policy," he said.

Yanukovych also mentioned that the next position in the foreign policy part is strategic partnership with Russia. Strategic relations with the U.S. have been and remain important direction of the country's foreign policy. It is also fundamentally important to deepen the development of relations with countries known as developing new global centers of growth.

"In the defense and security sector we must provide adequate defense capability and the possibility of cooperation in this field with European and Atlantic structures.

I suggest, dear colleagues, that we discuss this very important bill, and after our discussion and consideration of suggestions the draft bill will be submitted to the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine as a legislative initiative of the President of Ukraine and will be defined as urgent for it to be considered by the Parliament extraordinarily.

So I invite you to dialogue and would like you to express your views,” he said in his speech.

Having examined the draft Law "On Foundations of Domestic and Foreign Policy" the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine unanimously decided to:

• support the draft law "On Foundations of Domestic and Foreign Policy"


• recommend the President of Ukraine to submit the draft Law to the Parliament as urgent


• instruct Chief of Presidential Administration Staff Serhiy Lyovochkin and Minister of Justice Oleksandr Lavrynovych to advocate this bill in the Parliament of Ukraine 


• assign Prime Minister of Ukraine Mykola Azarov to present the draft Law "On Foundations of Domestic and Foreign Policy" in the Verkhovna Rada on behalf of the President of Ukraine.

After the meeting, President Yanukovych has immediately signed the draft bill into President’s Legislative Initiative and submitted it to the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine.