Yuschenko to initiate EU membership plans
A top aide to Viktor Yushchenko, confident that the Western-leaning reformer will be inaugurated as Ukrainian president within days, said today he will begin a push to bring the country into the European Union.
Despite a complex appeal of the December election results by losing candidate Viktor Yanukovych, which is being heard in the Supreme Court, Yushchenko’s inauguration appeared increasingly likely.
The court ruled yesterday that the election results could be published in official government newspapers as of Thursday, a key step in setting an inauguration date.
Once the results are published, the Supreme Court cannot rescind them, lawyers said.
After that ruling, Yushchenko’s staff said the inauguration would likely be on Friday or Saturday.
Yushchenko plans to appear before the European Parliament to present plans for bringing Ukraine into the EU, said aide Oleh Rybachuk.
“The newly elected president has a five-year plan of action which will bring Ukraine and the EU closer. Full-fledged membership in the EU has been and remains a strategic goal,” Rybachuk said.
Yushchenko’s interest in pursuing closer relations with the West has raised concern that Ukraine would slight Russia, its giant and economically critical neighbour to the East. Russian officials had strongly favoured Yanukovych, who was seen as likely to nudge Ukraine more into the Kremlin’s sphere of influence.
But Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said today that he believes tensions will be overcome.
“Relations between our two countries are immeasurably deeper and wider than any momentary developments during the election campaign in Ukraine. We have no other choice than to further bolster our bilateral relations,” Lavrov said, adding that Russia would welcome Yushchenko’s intention to pay his first foreign trip to Moscow.
