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Yushchenko calls for elaboration of joint anti-crisis measures, leaving aside political differences

27 February 2009 14:42 (UTC +04:00)

Kyiv-APA. Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko called on the Parliament’s Speaker Volodymyr Lytvyn, the Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko, the head of the National Bank of Ukraine (NBU), Volodymyr Stelmakh, and the opposition to coordinate their activities in the development of anti-crisis measures, the presidential press service reported.
The president was speaking at a meeting on coordination of activities of all public bodies and political forces under the circumstances of economic crisis on Friday.
"I’m sure that there is nothing else politicians can do in this situation. Turning this into a political issue will only harm the country. I appeal to you as statesmen, who should not be thinking about elections, but about tomorrow," Yushchenko said.
He proposed that officials consolidate around a joint anti-crisis program aimed at finding the least painful way out of the economic crisis.
"Our primary task is to keep control over the situation, protect the economy from a deep crisis, and maintain high social standards for the people," the president said.
Among the ways to overcome the current challenges, the president mentioned retaining social protections in 2009, the development of an effective anti-crisis package including tax reforms, support for domestic producers, the elaboration of an energy saving policy, the balancing of the state budget and a reduction of state spending on refilling the Stabilization Fund.
"We need a real budget in order to put the Stabilization Fund to work", Yushchenko said.
"We have to provide true information on how Ukraine’s economy can come out of the crisis through collective honest and bold actions," he added.
The president also called for a halt to the application of pressure on the banking system and the National Bank of Ukraine seen over the last 3-4 months.
"The banking system in any country is the basis for the national economy’s development. The applied to the banking system over the last months â€¦. has caused irreversible damage to the country. Even the global crisis had a lesser negative influence," Yushchenko said.
According to the president, public comments by officials resulted in a mass withdrawal of deposits from the banks. There are no economic reasons for such processes in the banking sphere, as well as for the plunging currency rate, the president added.
"Our aim is to take steps to support and strengthen the national banking system," Yushchenko said.
"First of all, we should restore confidence in the banks," he added.