Victor Pinchuk: Ukrainian authorities and politicians should be aware of global crises risks

Victor Pinchuk: Ukrainian authorities and politicians should be aware of global crises risks
12 July 2008

The issues of 5th annual YES summit agenda are the main questions of the world agenda too. So stated Victor Pinchuk, a founder and Member of the Board of Yalta European Strategy, in his address to journalists

"Today we discuss the crises that shock the world and shape the global agenda: these are fuel, food and financial crises", he mentioned.

According to Victor Pinchuk's opinion, authorities and politicians should be aware of global crises risks. "Our politicians should rather consider a longer-term perspective than the nearest election campaign. As for now there is an impression they are too deeply involved into their own internal context for being able to rise above it and face the global challenges that Ukraine is experiencing at the moment", he said.

Victor Pinchuk gave an example of the world food crisis which, in YES Founder's opinion, not only poses a threat but also provides prospects for the country. "Agriculture is the oil of ours", he stressed. "And within the current situation the government has to create the maximum favorable conditions for this branch of economy, make it a priority. How could the Parliament tribune be ever blocked when, in the time of global food crisis, Ukraine may help the world and at the same time have benefit?!"

Answering the question concerning the impact of the recent Hryvnia strengthening on exporters, Victor Pinchuk mentioned this fact as the one influencing the inflation rate decrease: "The exporters suffered to some extent; still the corporate interests may not be placed on top of the state ones. The main thing is the benefit of the country".

As was informed, Yalta is hosting the the 5th annual summit of international Yalta European Strategy (YES) network, the greatest and the most influential non-governmental forum for Ukraine and European Union issues. More than 160 politicians, businessmen, public characters, diplomats and journalists from more than 20 countries of the world shall take part in the Summit. The Summit will continue working until July, 13. The Plenary Sessions will be traditionally held in Livadia Palace.
Among the participants of the 5th annual organization Summit are Dominique Strauss-Kahn, the Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund; Mikheil Saakashvili, the President of Georgia; Marek Siwiec, Vice President of the European Parliament; Aleksander Kwasniewski, the President of Poland in 1995-2005; Mario David, Vice-President of European People's Party; Victor Chernomyrdin, Ambassador of the Russian Federation to Ukraine; key strategists of the leading USA political parties - Karl Rove, the republican, and Bob Shrum, the democrat.
Anthony Charles Lynton "Tony" Blair, the British politician and public leader, the Prime Minister of the Great Britain in 1997-2007, will be the special guest of the Summit to speak at Vision of Europe and Ukraine Plenary Session on July, 12.
The Ukrainian state at the Summit will be presented by Arseniy Yatseniuk, the Head of Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine; Raisa Bogatyrova, the Secretary of National Security and Defence Council of Ukraine; Vice Prime Minister on European and International Integration Grygoriy Nemyria.

Yalta European Strategy (YES) is an independent international organization, uniting the famous politicians, business and public opinion leaders, and journalists, with the aim of reforming Ukraine and provision of support to its entering the European Union. The organization was created by Victor Pinchuk, Ukrainian businessman and public figure, in July, 2004. 
Annual YES Summits in Yalta act as communication ground to discuss and develop political and economic strategies for Europe and Ukraine. Since the year 2004, William J. Clinton, the 42nd President of the USA; Gerhard Shroeder, the German Chancellor (1998-2005); Aleksander Kwasniewski, President of Poland (1995-2005), Victor Yushchenko, the President of Ukraine, and other personalities took part in Summits' work.

Besides annual summits, YES acts as initiator and organizer of public opinion surveys, forums and discussions on actual Ukraine-European Union relations issues, provides public opinion polls in EU countries concerning the European integration perspectives of Ukraine.

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