Ukraine obtains clear signals, guarantees for bilateral relations during US Vice President's visit to Ukraine - President Yushchenko

President Viktor Yushchenko

One of the results of the visit of US Vice President Joe Biden to Ukraine was confirmation of a strategic character of bilateral relations of our country and the Unites States, President Viktor Yushchenko has commented on this foreign policy event in an interview with the Silski Visti newspaper, the presidential press-service reports.

Yushchenko explained that confirmation of such status of bilateral relations was one of the questions Ukraine was interested in, which is conditioned by the arrival of the new US administration, as well as a reset policy of the US-Russia relations. "The outcome of the visit - and this is today's accord - is confirmation of a strategic status of our relations and establishment of the Ukraine-US Strategic Partnership Commission. This is a basic format we will follow to form the agenda of our relations," the Head of State said.

He also noted that the format of this Commission would be changed, the commission will not be headed by the Ukrainian and American presidents.

President Obama's new administration modified the previous practice and will not create such format with other states too, Yushchenko emphasized. According to the Ukrainian President, the Commission will go ahead with work approximately in September-October 2009. V. Yushchenko also said that a significant outcome of Biden's visit were clear assurances of the American party that the reset of the US-Russia relations will not affect Ukraine. "It was clearly stated that the United States does not proceed from a possibility of forming any privileged areas of influence to anyone. This is not a principle of democracy, these are not the principles of strategic relations, in other words, this is inadmissible. The US Vice President stressed that this policy was not the case, is not and will not be the case. A Ukrainian interest will no way suffer from the so-called reset of the US-Russia relations," the President stressed.

On the whole, Yushchenko estimated J. Biden's visit as extremely successful. "In frames of this visit we have obtained clear, definite signals and guarantees for bilateral relations," he underscored.

UKRINFORM