Viktor Chernomyrdin: “Russia will co-operate with parliament elected by Ukrainian people”

Russian Ambassador to Ukraine Viktor Chernomyrdin “is absolutely sure” that relations between Russia and Ukraine will improve after election of a new staff of Ukrainian Supreme Rada. He said in Kiev that Russia would recognize the parliament elected by the Ukrainian people. The ambassador also stressed, the Russian-Ukrainian bipartite relations would necessarily improve after election of a new Rada. No other results can be expected, as both countries have signed a large fundamental agreement and several different documents.

Some of Russian politicians say that Our Ukraine block is against Russian-Ukrainian relations, that is why Moscow is alleged to be ignoring the faction. In the words of Viktor Chernomyrdin, he knows nothing about statements of this kind. Such attitude would be rather silly, he thinks, and stresses once again, Russia will recognize the parliamentary staff elected by Ukrainians.

Viktor Chernomyrdin touched upon the very course of the election campaign, he said voting had been very open. The Russian ambassador visited three election centers together with other Russian diplomats as an observer. No grave violations of the voting regulations have been registered in Ukraine during the parliamentary elections. In Chernomyrdin’s words, conformation of political powers in the new parliament is to be determined by deputies themselves. “More important is that every action is to be directed to good work, improvement of the results achieved by March 31”, said Viktor Chernomyrdin.

Alexander Gorobets PRAVDA.Ru Kiev Ukraine

Translated by Maria Gousseva

Read the original in Russian: http://www.pravda.ru/main/2002/04/05/39301.html