“Civilization” choice…

For the second time in a month Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Leonid Kozhara gets into an awkward situation. The first one, as The Day already reported (The Day, issue No. 30 from May 16, 2013), took place during the hearing of Helsinki Commission of the US Congress in Washington when Kozhara gave his speech. At that hearing the topic of “Ukraine’s Chairmanship in the OSCE” was discussed and Kozhara made a good showing. But the real surprise for him was when US Congressman Steve Cohen began asking him questions about high-profile cases involving the murder of journalist Heorhii Gongadze, an attack on MP of two convocations Oleksandr Yeliashkevych, and beating of social activist Oleksii Podolsky. The minister was not prepared to answer such questions, he could not provide any specific information regarding crimes of the time of Leonid Kuchma presidency, but promised to send information through the Ukrainian Embassy in Washington.

On the one hand, we can assume that Leonid Kozhara really did not know the details about the mentioned cases, although a priori Apparatus of the Foreign Ministry should have prepared information for the minister. On the other hand, as the experts noted in the abovementioned article, in the midst of the investigation of the Gongadze case Mr. Kozhara worked in the administration of the President Kuchma in the International Office, which, in fact, dealt with such issues, thus, he had to know the details of the case. Whatever the situation was, upon his arrival from the US, the minister could have found time to read the materials and the latest news on the high-profile cases. Instead, he gets into another awkward situation.

Last week Foreign Minister Leonid Kozhara participated in a conference organized by the Presidential Fund of Leonid Kuchma “Ukraine” and Institute of Strategic Assessment. It was held following the results of the competition “Ukraine of the 21st Century: Civilization Choice,” held at the Institute of International Relations attached to Taras Shevchenko Kyiv National University. According to the Public Council under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in his address Minister Kozhara briefly informed the participants of the current foreign policy of Ukraine and congratulated the winners of the competition and urged them to continue their research in the sphere of foreign policy at the professional level.

Let’s leave the competition itself aside (it’s not the main point of our interest here), the interesting part here is the decision of the Foreign Minister Kozhara to attend this event. Why? Even if we recall the questions asked by Steve Cohen, he, for example, among other things said: “The man who attacked journalist Gongadze was convicted. But as far as I know, in his testimony he implicated that the former president Kuchma was involved in ordering this attack… Did you say you were not aware of the fact that he was attacked – brutally attacked, and, as I understand it, that there was a special commission of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine of the 3rd and 4th convocations that unanimously came to a conclusion that Ukrainian President Kuchma and the then chairman of the security service of Ukraine Derkach are accomplices in attempts on the life of people’s deputy of Ukraine, Yeliashkevych?”

At the conference hosted by the Fund its participants discussed the civilization choice of Ukraine. But every politician in this country often has to make his own “civilization” choice.

“Minister is a free man and goes wherever he wants,” social activist Oleksii Podolsky commented to The Day. “But then there arises a question – why Mr. Kozhara goes to an event hosted by Kuchma’s Fund, given that he has to prepare information about the crimes that caused interest in America? Officials there expect a serious and detailed answer from him. Does the minister have no other things to get busy with, especially given the fact that in the fall Ukraine intends to sign an Association Agreement with the EU, so he has lots of time to go to such events? Perhaps, the answer lies in the fact that Kuchma and Kozhara have a long lasting relationship, because the latter once worked in the administration of the second president, where he was responsible for international relations. As you know, back then this structure was engaged in misinformation of the international community on ‘Gongadze case.’”

In what can the visit of the Minister Kozhara to the event of “Ukraine” Fund result? “The step of Mr. Kozhara is a certain signal to Americans that as an answer to their question he meets not with the victim and not with the politicians, who were related to this case, but with Kuchma, who is suspected of ordering those crimes,” continued Podolsky. “I would not rule out the possibility that the Minister went to receive a consultation on how to write a respond to the US Congress. Whatever it was, all these high-profile cases are not tied to the Minister Kozhara. As far as I know, the Americans took seriously over this case, thus, if the minister is a fan of someone accused of ordering the murder, they can ask these questions personally the president. I wonder if Mr. Kozhara gets his answers and behavior in general approved by the president?”

In fact, if you do not pay serious attention to two illustrative stories associated with Leonid Kozhara, and, most importantly, in case if no answers are provided to the questions asked by Cohen, the high-profile cases may detonate with a new bang. And to the headache of the authorities caused by Tymoshenko’s case another headache may be added, this one, perhaps, even more painful. As we have already said, the mentioned high-profile cases are now of great interest to the US. By the way, in this regard we would like to mention the article “The triumph of Justice, or A legal vendetta”written by daughter of the only politician from Ukraine, who was granted political asylum in the United States, Oleksandr Yeliashkevych – Inna Yeliashkevych (The Day, Issue No. 30 from May 31, 2011) where she wrote: “The time in the US has enriched me with invaluable experience. I have met and worked with the most outstanding representatives of the American establishment: politicians, attorneys, judges, lawyers, and journalists. But the most important thing I know is that my friends are true people. They will find an antidote against the poisonous billions of the Kuchma family, and will help me in a noble and just cause.”

Judging from the statement made by the First Deputy Prosecutor General Renat Kuzmin: “We have enough evidence to support Kuchma’s involvement in the crime [murder of Gongadze. – Author],” the authorities are also serious about this matter. And given the most recent statement Kuzmin made in his interview with forbes.ua on another high-profile case: “version implicating Kuchma in the murder [murder of Shcherban. –Author] is now checked by investigators,” – even more so. After all, if no answers are given regarding old sins of Leonid Kuchma, who welcomes current minister at his events, they can sink the current authorities just as well, the way it happened to the president Yushchenko.