Ukraine's president vows to unite country, build new state

Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych, who is the Honorary Head of the country's ruling Party of Regions, has called on regional party members to make every effort to unite Ukraine and to be open for a dialogue with all parties operating in Ukraine "as success can be reached only in a monolithic state."

The appeal came out of Party of Regions' national assembly entitled "Building a New Country" held in Kiev on Thursday.

The event was attended by the chairman of the Regions Party, Ukrainian Prime Minister Mykola Azarov, parliament speaker Volodymyr Lytvyn, government members, regional governors and party members.

Yanukovych underlined that the party now faced a historical task - to build a new country.

"This would be an economically strong, democratic and united state," Yanukovych said.

"I have set the task to do everything to unite the Ukraine. I want politicians to stop their mutual struggle and cooperate for the benefit of the Ukraine. It's not just a call, but also a warning. I will not allow anyone to return the state to the period of political instability," the president said in his speech.

Yanukovych vowed that structural reforms in the country would be implemented by the end of 2014.

"Lawmakers in parliament united around the country's program of reforms that we declared many years ago, and only now got a chance to implement."

Yanukovych stressed the need to safeguard the country's economic recovery, to raise living standards of the people, to fight corruption and to prevent any attempts to sabotage the reforms.

The Party of Regions was founded in 1997. It was reformed later in 2001 when the party united with several others.

The party is predominantly supported in the East and South of the Ukraine, where most people speak Russian.

The local elections, in which Party of Regions is considered to be the leader, is scheduled for Oct. 31.

Source: Xinhua