KIEV, July 9 (RIA Novosti, Taras Burnos) - Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko said at the first session of his National Union Our Ukraine party today that Ukraine would never provoke Russia or ignore its interests. "Russia has been and will be our strategic partner, and we will never ignore its interests. We must prove that we are fair and consistent. And we will never provoke Russia," Yushchenko said. Citing that the European Union accounted for 55% of Russian export, the president said that successful relations between "Great Russia and the EU" were a good example for Ukraine.
"It is necessary to consider the interests of investors and respect them to attain good results in the foreign policy," Yushchenko stressed.
Yushchenko often recalled the pledges he had made on Maydan Nezalezhnosti (Independence Square, Kiev) during the "orange revolution", which secured his victory in the presidential elections in December 2004.
"Of course, those who were on Maydan wanted to get everything at once, and few of them thought that it takes time to provide for that. That is how human psychology works," the president said.
"We must be fair and admit our mistakes openly," said Yushchenko, the honorary chairman of the party, and called on those attending to be ready to face difficulties.
Touching upon the personnel reform, Yushchenko said, "About 18,000 new administrative officers have been appointed under the new authorities." "There are some mistakes," Yushchenko admitted.
