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Where there is no law, but every man does what is right in his own eyes, there is the least of real liberty
Henry M. Robert

The Russian Ambassador in Ukraine Hosted A Farewell Party Last Wednesday

3 July, 1999 - 00:00

Every Ukrainian and Russian, with at least the faintest
idea of politics, knows the name of diplomat Yury Dubinin. Mr. Dubinin
has devoted over forty years of his life to foreign policy: in the period
of the cold war he represented the interests of the USSR in Spain, the
USA, and France. After the collapse of the USSR, Mr. Dubinin headed the
Russian delegation for negotiations with former Soviet republics. His appointment
as Ambassador to Ukraine in 1996 was interpreted by many politicians and
the mass media as proof that Moscow wanted to apply a “strong-arm” policy
to Kyiv.

The firmness of Mr. Dubinin's positions was especially
evident during the first talks about the division of the Black Sea Fleet.
However, his views have notably changed over the three years of staying
in Ukraine: he shed a categorical tone and showed understanding toward
the problems of a neighboring country.

And although Ukrainian-Russian relations are still not
cloudless, the two countries have gone half-way to each other in the past
few years. This became possible also thanks to Mr. Dubinin's efforts. Before
leaving Ukraine, the ambassador gave an exclusive interview to The Day
.

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