The 5th annual Yalta European Strategy summit starts working today

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, starts working today. 

More than 160 politicians, businessmen, public characters, diplomats and journalists from more than 20 countries of the world will 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 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.
The main topic of the Summit will be the current global challenges and their impact on Europe and Ukraine. The Summit participants shall discuss the influence of fuel and food crisis on macroeconomic stability, issues of UE future in view of complicated process of Lisbon Treaty ratification, creation of Ukraine-EU free trade area, positions of Ukrainian political forces in relation to strategy and tactics of European Union integration. The Plenary Sessions shall also highlight the influence of elections, held in USA and Russia, on the situation in Ukraine, as well as issues of building democracy and market economy in the Black Sea region. Within three Specialized Sections the participants shall discuss the problems of gas deliveries, possibilities Ukraine is facing in relation to global food crisis, and preparation to Euro 2012 Championship.

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 of 2004, William J. Clinton, the 42nd President of the USA; Gerhard Schroeder, 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 act as initiator and organizer of public opinion surveys, forums and discussions on actual Ukraine-European Union relations issues, provides public opinion polls in the EU countries concerning the European integration perspectives of Ukraine.