Opening address by Prime Minister of Ukraine Arseniy Yatsenyuk at a visiting session of the Government on May 7, 2014

Over the past two months we have visited a lot of Ukrainian regions. Ministers have been in Kharkiv, Odesa, Lugansk and Donetsk cities and across Ukraine. Today we for the first time hold a visiting session of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine in the outstanding city as well as important region, in Kharkiv. I would like to inform you: we have just with the Minister of Interior Affaires and Minister of Defense visited the center of the anti-terrorist operation (ATO) and have been directly at checkpoints, where there are still terrorists. I would like to inform you that on your behalf I have conveyed greetings to the Ukrainian servicemen, Ukrainian Army, internal troops, police. In addition to greetings, four new upgraded APCs, which will be in the service in the National Guard of Ukraine, have been given.

Totally forty two APCs have been purchased for the needs of Ukrainian security and defense. And also today our servicemen have been awarded. However, I would like to note very clear that I was not happy with the situation of social security and direct care for each person. I ask the Minister of Defense, first of all, Mr. Minister, to raise all your staff immediately, so that everyone felt informed: the amount of salary and how to receive it. Recheck a meal as well as uniforms. And Arsen Borysovych [Avakov], I ask you to do so as well.

In addition to the security situation we still have two aspects. Those are political and economic ones. I would like to call your attention to the political issue. That small group of terrorists will be treated according to the law. But millions of Ukrainians, they're really seeking changes. Then we have started a national wide dialogue on substantial reforms in the country. Such changes include the decentralization of central government. Such changes involve the transfer of powers to the regions. Such changes include the adoption of an updated Budget Code, which would provide the corresponding territorial communities with financial resources, an updated Tax Code, which would simplify and reduce the number of taxes, make them transparent as well as tackle corruption. Such changes suggest that each territory, each community will have additional responsibilities in the humanitarian field. And I would like to point out that the position of the Ukrainian Government was, is and will be the same.

We protect and will protect the rights of Russian-speaking population. And the current law, which provides the status of the Russian language as regional, is valid in Ukraine today. And if it is necessary to embed a special status of the Russian language and the language of national minorities in the constitutional acts, then I think it should be the subject of a wide discussion and decision.