ELECTION OF YANUKOVICH NOT TO AFFECT ARMENIAN-UKRAINIAN RELATIONS: ARMENIAN POLITICAL EXPERT

ArmInfo
2010-02-17 11:51:00

ArmInfo. Election of Viktor Yanukovich President of Ukraine will not
essentially affect the Armenian-Ukrainian relations, a political
expert, Director of the Caucasus Institute Alexander Iskandaryan
told ArmInfo.

"First, election of Yanukovich does not mean automatic improvement of
the Russian- Ukrainian relations, like election of Yulia Timoshenko
would not mean their worsening. The situation is not so simple as it
seems to be, so, one should not expect any sharp changes in the context
of reintegration of the post-Soviet space", he said. According to the
political expert, Ukraine’s debt to Russia for gas will ever remain,
and the members of NATO and EU: Hungary, Romania and Poland will
ever remain Ukraine’s neighbours. Moreover, EU "Eastern Partnership"
programme will also remain in force. At the same time, A.

Iskandaryan emphasized a serious pro-Western disposition of the Western
Ukraine, as well as aspiration of the Ukrainian oligarchs to become a
part of EU with all that it implies. "The style but hardly the content
of the Ukrainian presidential administration will somewhat change. So,
one should not expect fundamental changes in the Armenian-Ukrainian
relations with election of V. Yanukovich. Moreover, one should not
expect Ukraine’s leaving the half-dead GUAM", A.

Iskandaryan resumed. Ukraine’s CEC has already processed 100% of
protocols at the second round of the presidential election: according
to the preliminary data, V. Yanukovich gathered 48,95% of votes and Y.

Timoshenko – 45,47%. The final data on the election results will be
provided by CEC no later than on February 17.