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For Immediate Release
Office of the Vice President
January 27, 2005

Vice President's Remarks with Ukrainian President Yushchenko
Villa Decius Krakow, Poland
January 26, 2005

VICE PRESIDENT CHENEY: It's a pleasure to be here tonight and to congratulate President Yushchenko on his election and inauguration as the leader of the proud sovereign nation of the Ukraine.

The world has been inspired by the remarkable images emanating from Ukraine in recent months. We have watched as Ukrainians by the hundreds of thousands converged on Kiev's Independence Square to preserve their freedom and safeguard their right to determine the destiny of their nation.

Fifteen years after the democratic revolutions that swept Central and Eastern Europe, liberty continues its steady advance in this vital area of the world. With their courage, dedication and peaceful determination, the Ukrainian people have shown a watching world the unstoppable power of the popular will.

What President Yushchenko has accomplished is remarkable and inspiring and there are great tasks ahead. Free nations stood with him as he made his just demands that the voice of the people be heard. The free world will stand with him once again as he works to consolidate Ukraine's democratic gains and adds to the prosperity and justice of his country.

As President Yushchenko assumes his responsibilities, he and the people he serves can know this: the United States supports the sovereignty and independence of Ukraine and we support Ukraine's aspirations to join the institutions that bind the free nations of the West.

President Yushchenko is an ally in freedom's cause, and President Bush and the American people stand with him.

We look forward to working with President Yushchenko to strengthen a democratic Ukraine to enhance security, preserve peace, and build a better world.

Once again, Mr. President, my congratulations.

PRESIDENT YUSHCHENKO: Dear Mr. Vice President, ladies and gentlemen, dear guests. The United States as well as Russia, as well as the European Union, and as well as Poland - belong to the strategic partners of Ukraine.

We built on an assumption that in many respects our national interests coincide. And I would suspect that, with respect to the previous policy of the previous power, our allies had a lot of frustrations. Very frequently the inconsistency in our policies made our bilateral and multilateral relations ineffective.

And today I am proud to state that the Ukrainian party is responsible for all the commitments that we have before our allies and partners. We want to pursue the processes of liberalization and democratization in all aspects of public life that are so badly needed for Ukraine and other Eastern European countries - shoulder to shoulder with our partners.

In my discussion with Mr. Vice President, I have repeatedly highlighted that, after the Orange Revolution, the country and the nation have changed. Not only do we have an independent country, we have a free country - a country capable of pursuing new, independent, and responsible policy.

We have discussed a number of issues that refer to our bilateral relations, both in economic and political aspects. I was pleased to invite Mr. Vice President to visit Ukraine at his convenience, and we hope that our bilateral relations will continue to remain constructive and effective.

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