Of the “Open Policy” Fund and the “Open Society” Foundation regarding the “pause” in signing the Agreement on Association byUkraine
and flash-mob “Don’t Kill Our Dream!”
during the speech of Sergiy Arbuzov, First Deputy Prime-Minister of Ukraine, in Vilnius
Two representatives of Ukrainian analytical centers, being deeply concerned by the so called “pause” of Ukraine in signing the Agreement on Association” have stated their position in the framework of the Eastern Partnership Business Forum in Vilnius. “It was just our obligation to declare our civil position by organizing flash-mob “Don’t kill Our Dream”: confidently say Lesya Shevchenko and Igor Zhdanov. Igor Zhdanov wrote in a Google-group subscription later: “We visited the Business Forum and fought with Mr. Arbuzov, jointly with Lesya Shevchenko, as her name should be mentioned. By the way, it was her initiative to visit the forum”.
During the speech of Sergiy Arbuzov, First Deputy Prime-Minister of Ukraine, in the framework of Eastern Partnership Business Forum inVilnius the following posters were raised: “Freedom Is More Important Than Russian Natural Gas”, “Arbuzov, Don’t Kill Our Dream”, “Why Are You Afraid of Putin?”, “Don’t Be Afraid Of Putin”. The businessmen present in the room supported the activists of the Ukrainian civil society by applauds. Unfortunately, the ignoring of the opinion of the civil society institutions by the government of Ukraine and delaying the signing of the Agreement on Association with the European Union by Ukraine, has prompted us to the extraordinary actions.
As being active members of the Ukrainian national platform of the Eastern Partnership civil society Forum, earlier we supported the Statement of Ukrainian national platform of the Eastern Partnership civil society Forum, which unites 186 civil organizations aroundUkraine, that states that rejection to sign and implement the Agreement on Association between Ukraine and the European Union is unacceptable.
We will hope that the current Ukrainian leadership will finally fulfill its obligations.
Remember, that just recently Viktor Yanukovych, the President of Ukraine, stated: “As of today, I do not see any obstacles to sign this document. The conditions set to us from the side of the European Commission shall be fulfilled. I don’t have any doubts here”.
In addition, the Party of Regions in its election program assured its voters that in its foreign policy it stands for “acquiring associated membership in the European Union, establishing the free trade zone, removing of visa barriers between Ukraine and the EU”. It is symbolic that the election program of the Party of Regions “From Stability to Welfare” was signed just by Mykola Azarov, the head of the PR and the current leader of the government.
In our opinion, V. Yanukovych, the President of Ukraine, and M. Azarov, the head of the Government of Ukraine, should fulfill their promises to the voters. In other circumstances they might have resigned because have cheated their voters. We hope that long term goals of the Ukrainian economy modernization, that the current Ukrainian rulers are filled with, will exceed the short term goals of getting favors fromRussia.
Mister President of Ukraine. We all have a dream: European future of Ukraine.
Do not kill it, sign the Agreement on Association with the EU.
from the “Open Policy” Fund, Igor Zhdanov
from the “Open Society” Foundation, Lesya Shevchenko
