MY YEAR – MY DAY 2009

The Day continues to publish answers to its traditional New Year’s questionnaire. It includes the following five questions:

1. Traditionally, what are your personal ratings of the most important events in 2009, in Ukraine, and elsewhere in the world?

2. Do you think that Ukraine and Ukrainians have changed over the past year? Have there been any changes (hopefully, for the better) in your life? What have you learned, seen, and accomplished?

3. Who is the Person of the Year for you personally?

4. A few words about yourself and your experience of The Day: Which topics, authors, photos, and projects carried by this newspaper impressed you the most in 2009 and why?

5. What is your New Year 2010 aphoristic toast (or drawing) for the big Ukrainian family?

Tadashi IDZAVA, Ambassador of Japan to Ukraine:

1. “The year 2009 has become a year of long-lasting efforts of different countries aimed at finding ways to restore the world economy after the shock produced by the financial-economic crisis, which began in the summer of 2008.

“Unfortunately, many countries, including Japan and Ukraine, have not yet managed to overcome the consequences of the financial-economic crisis, and it seems to me that Ukrainian society continues to suffer badly from these consequences.

“Another important event in 2009 has been the pandemic of the new strain of influenza. After detecting an outbreak of swine flu in Mexico at the beginning of this summer, the disease has started to spread to other countries of the world. In October Ukraine became one of them. In Japan, there were 5,022 clinically confirmed cases of the disease, but it is suggested that the real number of the sick totals 13 million. The pandemic claimed the lives of 123 people in Japan.

“Perhaps, these two events will become an opportunity for humankind, which has become too self-reliant and arrogant, to take another look at oneself. The Japanese have a proverb that says: “Misfortune and joy come together.” So I hope that bad things will also bring something good.”

2. “Perhaps, this is not a change of this year only, but I believe that democracy has started to advance at a steady pace in Ukraine. After watching the archives of the Orange Revolution that took place five years ago, it becomes apparent that there was a confrontation dividing the country into two parts. In the presidential elections next year, if it comes to the run-off, there will again be competition between two candidates, but at present various political forces are actively campaigning in different regions, and I hope that the elections will be held in a democratic way.

“For the first time I have an opportunity to live in an Eastern

European region, which includes Ukraine, and for me as a person who does not know Ukrainian everything is a new experience here. I enjoy my stay in Ukraine; I sometimes go to the opera or to the ballet and visit some other places of cultural interest in the beautiful city of Kyiv.”

3. “In the Japanese-Ukrainian relations, the most important event was the visit of Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko to Japan. Owing to this, the interest to Ukraine has grown immensely in Japan. Furthermore, this visit has become the ground for implementing of environmental projects according to the Green Investment Scheme and other projects.

“I hope that in the future, as Ukraine overcomes the consequences of the economic crisis, this foundation, laid by the Ukrainian premier’s visit to Japan, will be efficiently used, and Japanese companies will be able to carry out many useful projects in Ukraine.”

4. “As a person who speaks neither Russian nor Ukrainian, I find The Day’s English-language weekly digest to be a very valuable source of information. It is especially helpful in getting insights into Ukrainian politics and the life of Ukrainians. Hopefully, this newspaper will continue to carry such high-quality publications.

“Moreover, your newspaper frequently publishes interviews with diplomats, which describe bilateral relations in a detailed and comprehensive way. These kinds of publications are very useful for understanding Ukraine’s relations with other countries.”

5. “In the new year of 2010 I wish Ukraine to have fair and honest elections based on democratic principles. I wish it to form a new stable government under the guidance of the new president, realize its potential, and start developing at a high rate.

“I also wish Ukraine to recover from the consequences of the economic crisis as soon as possible and Ukrainian people to regain stable and happy life.

“Happy New Year and Merry Christmas to everyone!”

Marek Siwiec, Member of the European Parliament

1. “From the point of view of the EU, 2009 has been first and foremost an election year, a lucky one for me. Apart from the biggest election campaign in the history of the European Parliament, 2009 will be remembered in Europe as the year of the successful battle for the implementation of the Lisbon Treaty, which provided a new stimulus to the process of European integration. With the inauguration of the Eastern Partnership on 7 May, 2009 has also opened a new chapter in the EU-Ukraine relations. I feel honoured to have been able to make a personal contribution to this project as an MEP.

“As for the world at large, the lists of top 2009 events vary from country to country, with those closest to home inevitably taking centre-stage. For Ukraine – severely experienced by the global recession, political wrangling at home, growing instability across the region and, most recently, a major outbreak of swine flu.

“Still, I can safely say that for billions of people across the globe the deepening economic crisis and its far-reaching consequences have been the number one concern. Few countries have been spared and the economic aftershocks are still felt all over the world, from America to Ireland to Spain to Dubai to Ukraine.

“Another major “event of the year” was the January inauguration of Barack Obama as the 44th president of the United States. The subsequent decision of the Nobel Prize committee – not free of controversy – was but a reflection of the high hopes pinned on the new American president to make peace with the world and deliver on his electoral promises of a moral, rather than military, leadership. Whether or not his presidency will indeed make the world a safer place remains to be seen, but his call for change has been heard and acknowledged on both sides of the Atlantic.

“Yet Obama’s political honeymoon is coming to an end, which was proved at the only-just-finished Copenhagen summit on climate change, another possible “event of the year”. Many developing countries, environmental campaigners and aid agencies have already declared the summit an abject failure, openly questioning Obama’s leadership and his resolve to make a difference. Time will tell whether the much contested Copenhagen Accord tabled by a US-led coalition of five nations, including China, India, Brazil and South Africa, will translate into real actions. One may ask, “Does it matter for us down here in Poland or Ukraine?” Well, it does. After all, climate change and the related problems affect us all, whether you live in the Maldives, in Poland, or in Ukraine.

“Finally, it is worth remembering that many important events do not always make front page news. As the examples of Afghanistan and Iraq clearly demonstrate, military actions captivate media attention much more than nation building or reconstruction efforts. Similarly, the groundbreaking news about the opening of the Arctic’s Northwest Passage (due to ice loss) for the first time in history has hardly made headlines, though the fabled shipping route from the Atlantic to the Pacific may lead to major international disputes with potentially disastrous consequences. Does it matter for Poland or Ukraine? It surely does, because our status of big European nations calls for our involvement in global policy issues. Especially if one party to the dispute happens to be Russia.”

2. “For most Poles and – I believe – most Ukrainians as well, our bilateral relations are today primarily centred on the preparations for the 2012 European Cup, which for both our countries will be much more than just a sporting event. I welcome the fact that all the scheduled games will be played as planned.

“Obviously, Poland is also getting ready for the historical championships. We are just as anxious to see this grand Polish-Ukrainian spectacle, which is going to be closely watched in Europe and across the world.

“As for the news from Ukraine that has stirred the Polish public in 2009, it was the January gas dispute and its aftershocks that have caused most anxiety in my country and its immediate neighbourhood. With as many as 18 European countries reporting gas cut-offs, the issue of energy security immediately received priority status in the European corridors of power. A number of emergency procedures have since been put in place to prevent similar scenarios from happening in the future.

“Another major cause for concern are the continuing political tensions between President Yushchenko and Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko, which have a damaging effect on your country’s image abroad and must be especially acutely felt in uncertain times like these. In this respect, the Polish political scene looks strangely familiar, though, with the ongoing devastating disputes involving President Kaczynski and PM Tusk.

“Nevertheless, as a close observer of the EU-Ukraine relations and a stalwart supporter of the EU Eastern enlargement, I am pleased with the pro-European course that Ukraine has adopted despite the external pressures to hamper any further integration efforts. Over the past few years since the memorable Orange Revolution you have become a major partner of the European Union, one that no longer needs to prove its European credentials. Today, the Ukrainians I am happy to know and work with are also much more outward-looking and, despite the testing times they have come to live in, much more optimistic about the future than they used to be. I am convinced that you will manage to stay the course and will soon be able to reap the benefits of your efforts.”

3. “The Day has come to be the most important and most influential English-language publication in Ukraine. As an avid reader of your informed articles, especially the current affairs columns, I welcome the fact that my favourite Ukrainian daily is a major source and reference point for my European colleagues dealing with Ukrainian issues.

“However, just as I have trouble naming a single most important text I have authored (each of them seemed significant at the time of writing), I will not venture to name my favourite columnists among my fellow contributors. Suffice it to say, I do appreciate the quality of your journalism, love the new format and extended content, and feel privileged to offer my comments on EU affairs in such a high-profile publication.”

4. “Wishes should be personal, addressed to individuals, ideally as we look people in the eyes. Mine will be made in writing, but let me turn to each and every Ukrainian, those I already know and count among my friends, and those I have yet to meet.

“May the New Year bring you peace, a sense of security, good health and economic well-being. In politics, may it bring the long-awaited stability and new visionary leaders eager to implement the necessary reforms, so that this time next year the European Union and Ukraine might be even closer together. May 2010 fulfil our common dreams and aspirations. I strongly believe this will happen; after all, as we say in the EU, where there is a will, there is a way.”