The Ukrainian Weekly, 2016
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
Conclusion of THE YEAR IN REVIEW pages 7-17 THEPublished U by theKRAINIAN Ukrainian National Association Inc., a fraternal W non-profit associationEEKLY Vol. LXXXIV No. 6 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 2016 $2.00 Halychyna councils oppose Ukraine’s economy minister self-governance for the Donbas resigns over stalled reforms by Zenon Zawada vote after the amendment consisting of a single line is approved. (The relevant line in Poroshenko: Abromavicius KYIV – The Lviv Oblast Council and the amendment reads: “The specifics of should stay on Ternopil City Council voted on January 27 realizing local self-governance in certain to submit appeals to the Verkhovna Rada, districts of the Donetsk and Luhansk RFE/RL expressing their opposition to the estab- oblasts are determined by a separate law.”) lishment of local self-governance for the The legislation would grant amnesty to Ukraine’s minister of economic develop- occupied territories of the Donetsk and most of the armed terrorists, allowing them ment and trade abruptly resigned on Luhansk oblasts. to join the local police force. Those quali- February 3, citing obstacles to change and Their appeals argue that approving the fied could be appointed as prosecutors and raising concerns about the war-torn coun- constitutional amendments – which judges. Local authorities would be empow- try’s ability to institute sweeping reforms besides conditions for decentralization ered to conclude economic agreements with and rebound economically. would also set the foundation for the their counterparts in neighboring Russia, all Lithuanian-born Aivaras Abromavicius Donbas “specific procedures of local self- the while receiving subsidies from Kyiv. announced on February 3 that he had sub- governance,” also commonly called “special Meanwhile, elected officials could not be mitted his resignation due to “the sharp status” – would bring Russian-backed ter- removed before their terms are up. escalation in efforts to block systemic and rorists to power in a legalized autonomous Besides the conditions for local self-gov- important reforms.” enclave that will be used by Moscow to fur- ernance established in the Minsk accords, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko, ther subvert independence. reacting that same day to Mr. Abromavicius’s Russian negotiators led by Putin confidante Yaro Bihun “For the defense of the interests of resignation, said that the economy minister Boris Gryzlov are currently striving to Aivaras Abromavicius, who resigned on Ukraine and Ukrainians, we call upon you ensure that the self-governance is perma- should stay at his post and push ahead with February 3 from his position as to take the historic decision of not voting, nent, rather than expiring in 2017, as called reforms. Ukraine’s economy minister, citing “the under any circumstance, for the constitu- for in the Minsk accords, said Mykhailo Announcing that he was submitting his sharp escalation in efforts to block sys- tional amendments for the Donbas special Basarab, a Kyiv political consultant. resignation, Mr. Abromavicius said in a temic and important reforms.” status, or whatever you call it,” stated the They are also trying to create quotas in the statement to reporters that he had “no wish appeal of the Lviv Oblast Council, as report- Verkhovna Rada for deputies representing the to be a cover for open corruption or pup- Mr. Kononenko rejected the allegations ed by the UNIAN news agency. “Beneath occupied territories, as well as enable them pets under the control of those who want to as “completely absurd” and accused Mr. the beautiful veneer of words is hidden its to veto any measures towards European establish control over state money in the Abromavicius of trying to shift the blame true, cruel and Satanic essence hidden from Union and NATO integration, he said. style of the old authorities.” for his own failures atop the Economy society – to legalize the occupiers, whose “Putin isn’t interested in the Donbas as a He singled out Ihor Kononenko, a senior Ministry. boots are stomping upon the holy land of chunk of Ukrainian territory, especially after lawmaker close to President Petro “I would like to make clear that each and Ukraine.” half of it has become a humanitarian catas- Poroshenko, saying Mr. Kononenko had every member of this Cabinet for the last Their appeals join a growing chorus of trophe,” Mr. Basarab said. “Putin wants to lobbied to get his people appointed to head 14 months has been doing everything in pro-Western Ukrainians who oppose the use it to influence all of Ukraine, ensuring it state companies and at top government establishment of Donbas local self-gover- remains a colony of the Russian empire.” positions. (Continued on page 6) nance – widely considered to be de facto The pro-Western opposition to Donbas autonomy – which is being actively pursued local self-governance gained momentum in by Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko at mid-August of last year when 31 intellectu- the behest of Western governments. als published an open letter to the presi- A resignation with ramifi cations They are led by French President Francois dent and Parliament calling for a moratori- Hollande and German Chancellor Angela um on all constitutional amendments, by Zenon Zawada immediate. U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Merkel, who have urged Mr. Poroshenko to including the single line that creates local Geoffrey Pyatt tweeted that he’s “one of approve local self-governance as part of the self-governance. KYIV – It came as no surprise that the Ukrainian government’s great cham- Normandy format negotiations involving A little more than two weeks later, President Petro Poroshenko met with pions of reform,” while 11 leading Russian President Vladimir Putin. Parliament approved the first reading of Aivaras Abromavicius within hours of his Western diplomats signed a statement The legislation establishing Donbas self- resignation on February 3 to convince expressing their “deep disappointment” governance requires only a simple majority (Continued on page 6) him to remain as minister of economic over Mr. Abromavicius’s resignation. development and trade. “The U.S. and EU are giving money for Mr. Abromavicius is merely the latest our reforms but the money is arriving to Western-backed reformer to go public certain people that they helped to place Canada’s foreign minister responds with complaints about corruption in the in power,” said Taras Berezovets, a Kyiv government, but he stands out as the political consultant and director of Berta to Lavrov remarks on ‘rabid’ diaspora most prominent, given his success as an Communications. “They don’t want to investment banker. And the president allow a precedent in which a person with OTTAWA – Noting that he was looking the total lack of any pragmatism in the knows that if Mr. Abromavicius goes, his close ties with Europe is dismissed. I ahead to improved relations with the new impulsive actions taken by the previous standing in the West suffers, analysts said. would call this interference with person- Canadian government led by Prime government, which took the course, as you “A president with an approval rating in nel appointments, which violates the Minister Justin Trudeau, Russian Foreign can understand, of blindly following the free fall can ill afford offending the Western Vienna Convention, based on which dip- demands of rabid representatives of the Affairs Minister Sergey Lavrov on January leaders who provided the diplomatic and lomats don’t interfere with the domestic Ukrainian diaspora in Canada.” 26 complained of the previous govern- financial support to keep Ukraine alive politics of a foreign country. But that’s ment’s cooperation with “rabid represen- The next day, in Canada’s House of over the past two years,” said Brian Commons, Foreign Affairs Minister the result of Ukraine being led by those tatives of the Ukrainian diaspora in Mefford, a non-resident senior fellow at who are giving it money.” Canada.” Stéphane Dion admonished the Russian the Eurasia Center of the Atlantic Council foreign affairs minister and underscored The resignation even triggered selling At a press conference in Moscow on who works as a consultant in Ukraine. Canada’s strong and unwavering commit- Russia’s diplomatic performance in 2015, The reaction from the West was (Continued on page 6) Mr. Lavrov stated: “We were surprised by (Continued on page 25) 2 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 2016 No. 6 ANALYSIS Crimea’s annexation by Russia Dion on Canada’s unwavering support ture in Europe to support our NATO allies in the face of Russia’s aggression,” Mr. OTTAWA – Canada’s Minister of Foreign Carter said during a speech to the returns to Kyiv’s international agenda Affairs Stéphane Dion visited Ukraine on Economic Club of Washington, a private January 31-February 1, meeting with research organization. “We’re taking a by Oleg Varfolomeyev until Russia learns to respect the sover- Ukraine’s Foreign Affairs Minister Pavlo strong and balanced approach to deter Klimkin and Prime Minister Arseniy Eurasia Daily Monitor eignty of its neighbors (Liga.net, January Russian aggression,” he said. “We haven’t Yatsenyuk, as well as representatives of civil 12). had to worry about this for 25 years, and society, parliamentarians and government Up to now, the shaky ceasefire in At his first press conference of 2016, Mr. while I wish it were otherwise, now we do.” officials. Canada’s Department of Global Ukraine’s Donbas region has mostly contin- Poroshenko said that the restoration of Washington and its NATO allies have tar- Affairs noted: “Minister Dion reiterated the ued to hold (see Eurasia Daily Monitor, Ukrainian sovereignty over the whole of geted Russia with several rounds of sanc- need for the full respect of Ukraine’s sover- January 21). And thus, the Crimean penin- the Donbas region and efforts to return tions following Moscow’s seizure of eignty and underlined the importance of full sula, which was illegally annexed by Russia Crimea to Ukraine would be among his pri- Ukraine’s Crimean peninsula in 2014 and implementation of the Minsk agreements, in early 2014, has returned near the top of orities this year.