Brussels, 28-29 January 2008

Published by iBYuT

During a working visit to Brussels, Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko presented key provisions of her cabinet’s program to EU officials.

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Brussels, 28-29 January 2008

Published by iBYuT

During working meetings with key European Union officials, Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko highlighted her efforts to introduce European standards of government and business transparency into Ukrainian civil society.  These efforts, known as the Tymoshenko Transparency Initiative (TTI), are a critical platform of her government’s program.

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Published by iBYuT

Investors Meeting, 24 January 2008: Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko, Vice Prime Minister Hryhoriy Nemyria, Minister of Finance Viktor Pynzenyck, Minister of Economy Danilishin

Prepared Comments by Prime Minister Tymoshenko:

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Published by iBYuT

Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko of Ukraine met with more than 250 investors on Thursday to outline progress in her government's efforts to improve the investment climate in Ukraine.

Accompanying the Prime Minister in the meeting were Vice Prime Minister Hryhoriy Nemyria, Minister of Finance Viktor Pynzenyck, and Minister of Economy Bohdan Danylyshyn.

The format included presentations by each minister, along with comments by representatives of the European Business Association (EBA), EBRD and Ernst & Young. The meeting, which included an extended Q&A session, lasted more than two hours.

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Published by iBYuT
Thursday, 1 PM, January 24, 2008, 
Cabinet of Ministers Club, 7 Institura, in Kyiv
 
Prime Minister of Ukraine Yulia Tymoshenko will hold a meeting with foreign and domestic investors to continue the dialogue initiated in her "Contract With Investors."
 
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Published by iBYuT

Within a month of forming her coalition government, Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko is already delivering on promises made in her “Contract with Investors” by advancing trade opportunities with the WTO and the EU.  In what EU Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson called an "historic day, a very important breakthrough for Ukraine,” Tymoshenko’s newly-formed government cleared the way for WTO accession and an EU Free Trade Agreement (FTA) by achieving a mutually satisfactory compromise on export tariffs between the EU and Ukraine.
 
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Published by iBYuT

Vice Prime Minister for European Integration Hryhoriy Nemyria travelled to London on 16 January to meet with EU Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson in order to break the impasse between the EU and Ukraine on WTO accession.  Previous Ukrainian governments had been unable to overcome conflicts with the EU over export tariffs, preventing Ukraine’s WTO accession and limiting Ukraine’s ability to integrate more fully with the EU in trade and other EU Neighborhood Policy programs. 
 
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Published by IBYuT
Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko and key advisors met with Senator Richard Lugar in Kyiv on Tuesday, January 15, to discuss a variety of issues including bilateral relations, WTO accession, energy security and Euro-Atlantic integration.  The meeting was the second time in less than a year that the two have met; in April 2007, Senator Lugar met with the Prime Minister while she was still leading the Opposition.  During a press conference given by Senator Lugar at the residence of U.S. Ambassador William Taylor, the Senator stated that the economic development efforts “substantiated Ukraine’s membership in the WTO this year.”   During his visit, Senator Lugar also met with President Yushchenko. Read More...

Bloc of Yulia Tymoshenko (BYuT) Deputies Viktor Pynzennyk, Yuriy Prodan, and Hryhoriy Nemyria met today in Kyiv with four of the largest foreign creditors of Naftohaz Ukraine, Ukraine's state-owned oil and gas company.  Investment bankers requested the meeting with BYuT to address Naftohaz Ukraine's precarious financial situation.

The Western investors' concerns are rooted in the failure of the outgoing Party of Regions government of Viktor Yanukovich to provide Naftohaz Ukraine with the proper policies and financial management. The outgoing government's failure to support its national oil and gas company has caused international creditors to question whether Naftohaz Ukraine will be able to meet its financial obligations.  According to the creditors, if action is not taken by 31 December 2007, Naftohaz Ukraine will violate its foreign loan agreements and be forced to immediately repay US$2.6 billion in loans.

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Yulia Tymoshenko met today with former Secretary of State Colin Powell.

They began a dialogue on the current situation in Ukraine, post-parliamentary elections, the democratic coalition between BYuT and OU-PSD and the upcoming reforms in the new parliament.

"Ukraine chose a path of stability, which flows from democratic ideals," Powell said.

Colin Powell congratulated Yulia Tymoshenko on her victory in the parliamentary elections and wished her success in further establishing a stable economy, an open society and strengthening democracy in Ukraine.

“We are striving to form a coalition and an effective government that will be able to make significant economic and social changes," Tymoshenko said.

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Published by iBYuT

Opposition Leader Yulia Tymoshenko has confimed that the Bloc of Yulia Tymoshenko (BYuT) will not enter into a coalition government with the Party of Regions under any circumstance.

We were honest with our voters before elections and will be faithful to them after the elections, we will not join Party of Regions in government, our political force will stay in the opposition, said Ms. Tymoshenko.

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The Bloc of Yulia Tymoshenko (BYuT) supports Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko in demanding an investigation into attempts to falsify the results of Ukraine’s parliamentary election. Yulia Tymoshenko today met with the President, and afterward confirmed her concern on this issue.

Ms. Tymoshenko said, “It appears that illegal acts are being undertaken to undermine the democratic processes and to falsify the election results.” Ms. Tymoshenko pointed to lengthy delays in counting votes in the east and south of the country in a concerted attempt to bolster the results of the Party of Regions and the Socialist Party. The Socialist Party needs to achieve greater than three percent to enter parliament.

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The Bloc of Yulia Tymoshenko (BYuT) has established a voter verification system to help prevent electoral fraud and monitor falsifications in Ukraine’s parliamentary elections, which are scheduled for Sunday 30 September, 2007. The adopted process uses a three-part methodology to thwart fraud and report violations.

The first methodology was during several previous elections and involves BYuT observers at Ukraine’s 34,000 polling stations viewing the results protocols and relaying the information by telephone to a call-center, which is then forwarded to a central computer.

“Using this method we always got information earlier than the Central Election Commission (CEC) received it,” said Oleksandr Turchynov, BYuT Deputy Chairman and leader of Mrs Tymoshenko’s election campaign. He added that after getting results from 30 percent of polling stations, “mathematical programs developed by our specialists will allow us to get a general result with an error level of less than one percent.”

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Press Conference

Bloc of Yulia Tymoshenko (BYuT) invites international media to attend the press conference of Yulia Tymoshenko.

The press conference will be held on Friday, Sept 28, 13.00 at BYuT’s headquatres (13 Turivska St.).

Translation into English will be provided. For accreditation, please call 462-57-50.
If you have any questions, please call Natasha Lysova at +38 067 323 6040 or email nlysova@beauty.net.ua

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Yulia Tymoshenko, the leader of Ukraine’s opposition party (BYuT), met with the Rt. Hon. Baroness Margaret Thatcher on 21 September, 2007 in London. Ms. Tymoshenko held private discussions with the “Iron Lady,” who was Britain’s Prime Minister from 1979 to 1990 and credited with transforming the country and helping to end the Cold War.

The former prime ministers discussed the forthcoming parliamentary election in Ukraine, which is scheduled for 30 September, 2007 and the long-term reform program designed to bring Ukraine up to European standards.

Lady Thatcher expressed her hope that Ukraine’s election would be fair and pronounced her wish for the Ukrainian people to keep alive the spirit of freedom and democracy that characterized the Orange Revolution. She went on to express her admiration for all Ms. Tymoshenko has achieved and wished her well for the future.

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KYIV – Ukrainian opposition leader Yulia Tymoshenko’s party (BYuT) launched an international, English-language website to communicate her party’s views on an international basis. www.iBYuT.com is the international BYuT website for information on the party’s platform, members, news, press releases and activities abroad. Ms. Tymoshenko announced the launch of the website Read More...

KYIV - BYuT leader Yulia Tymoshenko presents program to accelerate investment in Ukraine.

The contract presents the platform of policy guidelines which a BYuT government will pursue to encourage increased domestic and foreign direct investment, so as to accelerate Ukraine’s economic development and improve the standard of living for its citizens in a sustainable manner.

The initiative underlines BYuT’s support for a transparent government and economic policies designed to increase investment. It also describes how a BYuT government would execute the policies which were developed with advice from the international community.

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On Tuesday, August 14, a Ukrainian court ruled that the Central Election Committee (CEC) must, by tomorrow, act to register the major opposition party, Bloc Yulia Tymoshenko (BYuT), for the September 2007 parliamentary elections. The court found that BYuT was in compliance with all laws and gave the CEC two days to appeal the verdict.

This court ruling came after the CEC refused to register BYuT for a second time on Monday.

Last Friday, the CEC, which is dominated by representatives from Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovich’s Party of Regions, first refused to certify Bloc Yulia Tymoshenko (BYuT) for the upcoming parliamentary elections, to the consternation of Ukrainians and many Western observers and government officials. Supporters of BYuT have begun to set up tents and demonstrate in front of the CEC headquarters.

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Kyiv, Ukraine; The Ukrainian Central Election Commission (CEC), which is responsible for overseeing the electoral process associated with the Ukrainian parliamentary elections scheduled for September 30th, has refused to register the main opposition coalition led by former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko.

Early Saturday morning the CEC members who represent Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych, along with his communist and socialist allies, refused to give their vote acknowledging the candidacy of all 450 nominees of the opposition coalition of Bloc Yulia Tymoshenko (BYuT).

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The party founded and led by Ukraine's Opposition Leader Yulia Tymoshenko (The Batkivshchyna Party) has announced that it will become an observer member of Europe's largest party, the European People's Party (EPP). The move highlights former Prime Minister Tymoshenko's commitment to furthering modern European democratic ideals and places Ms. Tymoshenko alongside other EPP leaders to include French President Nicolas Sarkozy, Dutch Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende and German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

The announcement to join the EPP was made by Ms. Tymoshenko during the convention of the Bloc of Yulia Tymoshenko (BYuT) held in Kyiv on Sunday, August 5th, ahead of Ukraine's parliamentary elections on 30 September, 2007. Other member parties within BYuT are expected to join the EPP in the coming weeks.

EPP President Wilfried Martens, who will speak at the convention, said, "We welcome your efforts in building a democratic party with European values and principles, which will bring Ukraine and all her citizens a prosperous and peaceful future for all."

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Former Ukrainian Prime Minister and Orange Revolution leader Yulia Tymoshenko received one of the most prestigious political awards in Europe today, the Award for Political Courage, from the Politique Internationale, bestowed at the Sorbonne in Paris, France. This award was presented in recognition of her past and present efforts in pursuing democratic reforms in Ukraine.

Recent award winners have included Pope John Paul II, King Abdullah of Jordan, Prime Minister Adrian Nastase of Romania, and President Andreas Pastrana of Colombia. According to Patrick Waisjman, head of Politique Internationale, the award is as much for Tymoshenko's work for democracy in Ukraine after the Orange Revolution as during it. Waisjman noted that even after her government was forced from office, she remained true to the guiding principles of democracy and the development of a civil society, "She refused to compromise with the forces that would move Ukraine back towards its pre- Revolutionary environment."

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Former Ukrainian Prime Minister and Orange Revolution leader Yulia Tymoshenko today announced the details of her schedule in Paris this week.

Ms. Tymoshenko's trip will be highlighted by meetings with the French Ministers of Foreign Affairs, Industry & Finance, among others. She will also be meeting with the Porte Parole of Government and the President of the Senate. During the trip, Ms. Tymoshenko will be honored by the prestigious Politique Internationale, which will present her with their highest award for political courage in recognition of her past efforts and ongoing leadership in pressing for democratic reforms in Ukraine.

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Former Ukrainian Prime Minister and Orange Revolution leader Yulia Tymoshenko announced today that she will visit the United States. Ms. Tymoshenko will travel to New York City and Washington, DC between February 26th - March 2nd.

"As an unwavering supporter of freedom and democracy in Ukraine, I look forward to returning to the birthplace of these historic principles," said Ms. Tymoshenko.

During her stay in the U.S., Ms. Tymoshenko will meet with government officials, lawmakers, business leaders, policy experts and scholars to discuss the important issues facing Ukraine. She will address efforts to advance the country's path to democratic reform and be honored by policy organizations that support her passion and commitment to Ukraine. She will also speak at some of the most prominent American universities and think-tanks on topics of Ukrainian / American interest.

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