President Victor Yushchenko visited Ternopil on Sunday to close the 6th Cossack song festival, according to the President`s press-office.
He thanked its participants for “preserving the traditions of our ancestors and cherishing and developing the nation’s spirit.” “However, the Ternopil region is not only proud of its past. The people living on this land worship Ukraine and create its riches with their daily work, thoughts and prayers,” he said.
The strength of the Ukrainian people has always lain in unity, he said and urged the country’s democrats, who have “definitely learned a lesson from their past mistakes,” to unite. He said those who oppose their unification “act against the Ukrainian people.”
“We must search for a path to one another, be forgiving and care for the nation’s priorities together,” he said. “Ukrainian politicians must draw right conclusions from what has happened over the past two years. We must clearly understand what can unite the democratic forces.”
Yushchenko expressed confidence the democrats would win next week’s parliamentary elections. “I have no doubt that we will have a democratic parliamentary majority for the first time in the past sixteen years,” he said, urging the Ternopil community to come to the polls on September 30 and allow no falsifications and violations. “My principles are very simple: I want Ukraine to be united and integral and I do everything for that. I am convinced this is a fundamental obligation of any president at all times.”
The president then outlined his social initiatives and said each citizen should benefit from Ukraine’s economic growth in 2008.
During his visit to Ternopil, Yushchenko also laid flowers at the Taras Shevchenko monument.
