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THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
Kiev, Ukraine
For Immediate Release June 5, 2000 |
REMARKS BY THE PRESIDENT
TO THE PEOPLE OF UKRAINE
St. Michael's Square
Kiev, Ukraine
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6:30 P.M. (L)
THE PRESIDENT: I believe we should give a round of applause to
Natalia
and Kateryna. They were fabulous. Didn't they give a good --
(applause) --
they are a great representative of the young people of Ukraine. Let
me
also
thank the representatives of your government who came here with me
today --
Deputy Head of Presidential Administration Rohovyi, Foreign
Minister
Tarasyuk.
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I'd like to thank Mayor Omelchenko and Patriarch Filaret, and all
the
distinguished representatives of the Ukraine government who have
joined
me
and the Secretary of Energy and my National Security Advisor and
our two
Ambassadors for a good day of meetings. I thank all of you for coming out here on this beautiful day. I am
honored to be in Kiev again, to come to the cradle of Ukrainian
culture,
to
pay
respects to Ukraine's ancient and glorious past, and to tell you
America
will stand by you as you fight for a free and prosperous future. |
Here in this historic and beautiful square, you can see for a
thousand
years.
Before me, the magnificent St. Sophia's Cathedral, built by
Prince
Yaroslav in the 11th century. And behind me, the beautiful and
reborn
St.
Michael's Monastery, built by his grandson, with a stunning
cathedral
built since the last time I was here. Between them, statues of
Saints
Olga
and
Andrew, Cyril and Methodius, all proof of your extraordinary
artistic
and
cultural accomplishments.
Sadly, the people who created and cherished these treasures
suffered
deeply.
I am honored to have laid a wreath of flowers at the
memorial to
the
millions who perished in the forced famine of the 1930s. Ukraine
has
endured
oppressors who carved up your lands, banned your books, starved
your
children, purged your writers, enslaved your workers, plundered
your
art,
stole your rich soil, and forbade you even to talk about the
tragedy of
the famine.
Today, the oppressors are gone. Stalin is gone. The Nazis are
gone.
The
Soviet Union is gone. Russia is working to build a new society.
But
you,
the people of Ukraine, you are still here, stronger than ever. You
are
reclaiming your land, uniting your people, restoring your culture
and
raising your children in freedom and democracy. You are fulfilling
the
longing of
your ancestors. You are building a free, sovereign and independent
Ukraine.
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I know you have faced disappointments, and your dream is not
complete.
You have your vote, but you may ask, will it lead to have a real,
positive
impact. You have your freedom, but you may ask, will it lead to a
better
future.
I ask you to look around you. From Lithuania to Poland to the
Czech
Republic, those who chose open societies and open markets like you,
started out with sacrifice, but they ended up with success. I have
not
lived what
you have lived. I am an American, not an Ukrainian. I cannot
tell you
how to build your future. |
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But I do believe this: I believe
Ukraine has
the
best opportunity in a thousand years to achieve both freedom and
prosperity.
You are on your way.
President Kuchma has helped to pass a strong
budget.
He has moved to give people their own land, to reform the old
government
bureaucracy, to privatize new businesses in accord with
international
standards, and he has appointed a strong Prime Minister. But, my
friends,
you, too, must be strong leaders. You must encourage the
government.
You
must exhort the Rada. You must build a free and prosperous
Ukraine. Do
not give up. Keep on fighting. Boritesya Poborete.
There will be obstacles.
I know some in Ukraine want to discourage
foreign investment; they oppose free markets. But that thinking is
lost
in
the
past. But I ask you, look around the world today. The nations
with the
highest standards of living, the greatest security, the lowest
poverty
are
free-market democracies. People who trade and invest in one
another.
Communism has lost in Ukraine, but a full commitment to free-market
democracy has not yet won. If your children are to live their
dreams,
it
must win.
So again I ask you, do not give up. Keep on fighting. Boritesya
Poborete.
America needs a strong, prosperous and democratic Ukraine as a
partner.
Together we have made the whole world safer from the risk of
nuclear
war.
Our soldiers are serving together with courage and pride in
missions of
peace. There is so much more we can do together. We can explore
the
frontiers of science and space; increase our efforts to protect the
environment, fight disease, defeat terrorism; and promote
democracy,
prosperity, and peace. These are challenges all nations face, and
no
nation can meet alone.
And so I say again, let us meet them together. We must not give
up. We
must keep on fighting. Boritesya Poborete.
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America believes Ukraine has a right to a place among the nations
of
Europe. No one must take that right away from you. We reject the
idea
that
the
Eastern border of Europe is the Western border of Ukraine. Of
course,
your future is your own choice. But we can, and we will, keep the
door
to
the
transatlantic community of democracies open to Ukraine.
Ukraine has so much of what it takes to succeed in the global
information
age strong universities, an educated society and partners willing
to
stand
with you.
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All you need now is to stay on course and pick up speed.
Open
the economy; strengthen the rule of law; promote civil society;
protect
the
free press; break the grip of corruption.
In Ukraine, I understand you have a saying: "He who is an hour
late
will
spend a year catching up." People of Ukraine: Seize this moment
now,
for
your nation and your children. And so I say for the last time,
Boritesya
Poborete.
In the cathedrals around me, I see Ukraine's past. In the faces of
all
the young people before me, I see Ukraine's future. It is a
promising
future.
You have kept alive your language, your unity, your dream of
independence
for a thousand years. You have what it takes to build the future
of
your
dreams. Your parents battled tyranny to help you win your freedom.
Now,
you must use your freedom to make sure you and your children
prosper in
peace.
America is your friend and your partner.
Again, I thank you for coming to be with me today. Again, I say
America
will be with you all the way. God bless you. Slava Ukrainiy.
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