OREANDA-NEWS. February 07, 2011. President of Ukraine Viktor Yanukovych and President of the Republic of Poland Bronislaw Komorowski took part in the final meeting of the X Economic Forum "Ukraine-Poland" and the VI Conference of Regional Governors of Ukraine and Poland.

The event was held at the Warsaw Stock Exchange.

In his speech, President Yanukovych noted the importance of such events for promoting effective partnership between Ukraine and Poland and between businessmen of the two countries.

"We should create new mechanisms for implementing government policy, new mechanisms to boost the economy. And no one except you, the enterprising people of our societies, can do it," Viktor Yanukovych said, adding also that increasing the economic component of relations between Ukraine and Poland is clearly the most effective policy of their development.

He noted that the future of our countries largely depends on representatives of regions and business. "With your help, we can fill the agreements, which are being signed between Ukraine and Poland, with substance," Viktor Yanukovych said.

The President also noted that Ukraine is ready to use Poland's successful experience in building a strong economy, realization of the administrative reform, etc.

Speaking about the relations between Ukraine and Poland, Viktor Yanukovych said: "We have now reached their highest level in a long common history ... The history unites us much more than divides."

According to Viktor Yanukovych, current Ukrainian-Polish relations have every reason to lay one of the strongest foundations of the new Europe. The President reminded that our countries had won the right to jointly host UEFA Euro 2012, which is a great challenge for our governments, businesses.

The President stressed that Ukraine has now managed to catch up with the preparation schedule by its own effort. Viktor Yanukovych expressed his belief that Euro 2012 will be held at a high level. "I am certain that we will do this together. It is also the event that will unite us for the future," he said.

The end of the first decade of the twenty-first century was marked by global economic crisis, which Ukraine and Poland are going through differently, President Yanukovych said. According to him, Poland has proven the effectiveness of its development model, and Ukraine will take the experience into account.

For Ukraine, he said, 2010 has been a test in the context of overcoming the crisis, and we passed it optimally.

Viktor Yanukovych reminded of the positive economic statistics, with which our country has finished the year. We have entered 2011 much stronger than we had been in 2010, he said.

"Ukraine’s strategic goal remains membership in the European Union. Practical steps of both the EU and Ukraine could speed up the process," he said.

"We expect and hope that during Poland’s presidency over the EU in the second half of this year, we will achieve progress on this path," the President said.

He said that Ukraine will do its best to comply with its commitments in that area.

Today, President Yanukovych said, our challenge is to improve the image of Ukraine and ensure stability in the country. "And we will be consolidating the society on this path," he stressed.

The Ukrainian President noted that until the end of this year our country is to launch reforms on 21 directions. And those reforms, which have started last year in Ukraine, are already doing their job, President Yanukovych said, adding that that the implementation of reforms is actually a question of national security and sovereignty of Ukraine.

Viktor Yanukovych noted that, of course, the crushing blow to corruption and bureaucracy has caused resistance of the system. "So today, we see bureaucracy and corruption hiding behind democratic slogans in Ukraine," he said, adding that there is a lot of lies told and attempts made to misinform the international community and the Ukrainian society.

"The Ukrainian nation is wise and it will understand. Because a small handful of people, who have been plundering the country for 20 years is only a handful, from which the whole society, the whole state and our image in the world have been suffering. The interest of the Ukrainian nation is that the practice was put an end to... The country has to change, " he said.

"We need to reverse our approaches 180 degrees, and we will do it. The Ukrainian nation stimulates us to," Viktor Yanukovych stressed.

President Yanukovych thanked the Polish side for friendly understanding and assessment of the situation, which it demonstrates to Ukraine. "I believe in further strengthening of strategic partnership between Poland and Ukraine in all areas," he said.

Viktor Yanukovych also suggested holding the next Economic Forum "Ukraine-Poland" in Ukraine.