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Arseniy Yatsenyuk elected as Ukrainian Prime Minister

27 February 2014 14:59 (UTC +04:00)

Baku – APA. The European Choice coalition formed in Ukraine’s Verkhovna Rada has approved the candidacy of Arseniy Yatsenyuk, the leader of Batkivshina Party, for the post of prime minister. APA reports quoting Ukrainska Pravda newspaper that Arseniy Yatsenyuk, 40, has been elected as Prime Minister with 371 parliamentarians’ votes.

Yatsenyuk delivered a speech before the parliamentarians. He urged the parties (the United States, the United Kingdom and Russia) of the Budapest Memorandum signed in 1994 to ensure the territorial integrity of Ukraine. He said that Crimea was and will be a part of Ukraine: “Due to political interests, attempts are currently being made to put forward claims against Ukraine’s territorial integrity. I state that Ukraine will use all legal and constitutional means to defend its territorial integrity.”

In his speech, Yatsenyuk particularly focuses on the difficult socio-economic situation in the country. He said that Yanukovych-Azarov government has embezzled $70 billion through offshore zones, the national debt reached $75 billion, the state treasury was plundered and is empty:

“Gold and currency reserves worth more than 20 billion dollars have been embezzled, $37 billion loan have disappeared. Nothing can be done with 4.3 million hryvnia left in the state treasury. We are facing terrible economic threats. I want to be sincere: in order to get out of the situation, keep the country’s financial system, we are obliged to pass unpopular decisions on subsidies, tariffs and cut social programs. We can not pay social benefits and subsidies. I do not promise improvement today or tomorrow,” he said.

Yatsenyuk considers that talks should be urgently resumed with the international lenders. He said there are opportunities to stabilize the financial system. Prime Minister said number one task in the government program is to sign association agreement with the EU.

“If the EU is ready to sign the agreement, we are also ready,” he said.