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Ostap Semerak: Free successful Ukraine is best answer to Putin and terrorists

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Ostap Semerak: Free successful Ukraine is best answer to Putin and terrorists

The Minister of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine was interviewed by charter97.org.

Minister of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine Ostap Semerak answered questions of charter97.org editor Natallia Radzina.

– It's a stressful period when parties in the new Verkhovna Rada are expected to sign a coalition agreement. It's 22:00 now, but you are still working and your office is full of people. What are the main things in your work now?

– We hurry because we want to complete the formation of the parliamentary coalition and the Cabinet of Ministers as soon as possible. The official results of the parliamentary elections were published today [the interview took place on November 12 – editor's note]. It is an important moment to set the date of the first meeting of the parliament, where the current Cabinet of Ministers will resign. It will give an opportunity to form the new government on the basis of the coalition agreement, which is about ready to be signed.

Besides procedures, strategies and plans, the agreement includes a plan of reforms for Ukraine. They are to a great extent related to the Agreement of Association with the European Union, which itself is a serious reform plan.

I think the new parliament will meet within 20 days. The law on elections sets clear procedures of how much time newly elected MPs have for paperwork. I hope we'll be able to speed up the process.

– Are you satisfied with the new parliament?

– More than fifty percent of MPs are new people who haven't been members of the Verkhovna Rada before. So, more than half our law-making body are new people. From the MPs who supported Yanukovych and voted for dictatorial laws of 15 January 2014 only a few tens of people, 63 MPs, if I am not mistaken, were elected through first-past-the-post constituencies and the so called Opposition Bloc, which is the rebranded Party of Regions.

It think it's bad signal that such a great number of these people were elected, but the coalition, which is about to be formed, took a clear decision that in the new Rada, none MPs who voted for the dictatorial laws of Yanukovych can be members of the coalition. It means that the coalition will be free from supporters of dictatorial ideas and principles they tried to implement in Ukraine through the Yanukovych regime, the influence of his partners in Russia and those behind the annexation of Crimea and aggression in the Luhansk and Donetsk regions.

By the way, it is important that we are coming closer to the European level of women's participation in the parliament. I think Belarus will move in this direction soon, too.

– Isn't it a bit late for Ukraine to form the new government?

– That's not a problem. We didn't have the parties to sign the agreement until the official results of the elections were published by the Central Election Commission, but all saw through e-protocols and exit polls who would get parliamentary seats. These people gathered and began to work. Our plan is as follows: results are announced on Wednesday, and we want to sign the coalition agreement on Friday. The agreement is rather detailed. It is an elaborated document that represents the combination of various approaches and visions of reforms in the country and its priorities. Works goes on every day.

We don't have any problems. It's clear that the coalition will be formed and it's clear who will enter the coalition. There's a rough understanding on the priorities and vector – European integration, democratic and market reforms, strengthening security, anti-corruption efforts, deregulation and so on.

It's everything clear with the matter, and we have no doubts. The only thing we discuss now is what should be done first, whose experience we should adopt and what we will have to invent ourselves. But it is more tactical plans rather than a strategy.

– You became the Minister of the Cabinet of Minisrets in hard times, after the victory of the Maidan in February 2014. The new government that came to power through the revolution found itself amid war. Will the new government ready to work in military conditions? You will have to carry out radical reforms in addition to solving political and economic problems. The question is especially interesting taking into account the fact that under the Constitution, the government have now more power than the president.

– We came to the Cabinet from the Maidan. All candidates for posts in the Cabinet were discussed by people at the square. I remember those days... It was a tragic time. Maidan protesters were paying their last respects to those killed. The discussion of the new composition of the government and our priorities took part at the same time. We hoped tragic events were over and we had the road of reforms and changes lying ahead of us. We understood well what Ukrainian society expected from us.

Unfortunately, Ukraine and the country's budget were robbed and the figures that are made pubic today are terrifying. The regime of Yanukovych stole tens of billions of dollars and took it to Moscow or somewhere else. They are hidden in such a way that it seems almost impossible to find the money.

We understood that serious economic reforms were needed, and we wanted to carry them out, we were selecting people for the government to do this work. We didn't understand we would get the third challenge, the aggression from the Russian Federation that we see today in the Luhansk and Donetsk regions, and the annexation of the Republic of Crimea.

These events that worsen the situation, but we found internal resources and held the democratic presidential elections amid armed conflict. The newly elected head of state was recognised by everybody, including the Russian Federation. The elections were also recognised by western countries that have higher election standards than post-Soviet countries.

We managed to hold the democratic parliamentary elections. We are about to complete the power reset in Ukraine. The Verkhovna Rada with over 50 per cent of new MPs represents the new society. People understand it is no longer possible to live as we lived before. We need a new life. New parties and new people, including the youth with new approaches, have come to power.

We have a clear understanding that a successful and prosperous free democratic Ukraine is the best answer to separatists, terrorists, Putin and his team.

The things that impede reforms are the ruined infrastructure and economic ties of industrial enterprises, additional budget expenditures on defence, protection of people and compensation for those who had to move from Crimea and the territories of Donbas that are temporarily not controlled by the Ukrainian authorities.

We have many challenges, but I am optimistic about the future, because the war against us and the ordeals we passed through have formed a new Ukrainian society. If someone thinks they can continue to work as before, if someone thinks old mechanisms will work, it's a big mistake. It doesn't work. The new parliament and new government take huge responsibility, but they also have new great opportunities.

– Can Ukraine return Crimea and Donbas?

– Surely. For the Ukrainian government, Crimea remains our territory. We consider the people living there to be Ukrainian citizens. The districts of the Luhansk and Donetks regions that are temporarily not controlled by Kyiv are also Ukraine. We consider the people living there to be Ukrainians. We don't leave people to fend for themselves. Due to successful work of our diplomats in the West, Ukraine wasn't left alone in its confrontation with the Russian Federation and the plans prepared by its leaders.

We will do our best and use all instruments possible to restore Ukraine's borders recognised by the world.

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