Medvedev asks ice hockey coach to thank players for bright final.

MOSCOW, May 24 (Itar-Tass) -- Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, as
all Russian fans, was watching the final match between Russia and the
Czech Republic in the IIHF World Championship. Together with his son Ilya
the Russian president was fanning for our ice hockey team to the very last
second, spokesperson of the Russian president Natalia Timakova told
reporters.
After the final Medvedev called up head coach of the Russian national
ice hockey team Vyacheslav Bykov and asked him to thank the players for a
bright final match. The president noted that our ice hockey team pleased
our fans with successes in the past few years.
Medvedev noted that "the sport is sport" and expressed confidence that
our national ice hockey team would win many brilliant victories in the
future.
Russia lost to the Czech Republic (1-2) in the final match in the IIHF
Ice Hockey World Championship at Lanxess Arena in Cologne on Sunday.
Russia won the silver medal of the Ice Hockey World Championship.

.Ukraine to protect national interests in economic ties with RF, EU.

KIEV, May 24 (Itar-Tass) -- Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovich
stated that he will always protect national interests in economic
relations with Europe and Russia. He stated about it in an interview to
the Ukrainian television in reply to a question whether close cooperation
between Ukraine and Russia will affect the relations with Western partners.
"I state that we do not change Ukraine's development strategy that was
determined. We are going on this way," Yanukovich said. No matter with
which partners we will resolve economic issues - with Russia or with
Europe - we will always protect our vital interests. This is the most
important issue for us," the Ukrainian president pointed out.
President Yanukovich also emphasized that he will launch reforms in
2011. "I will put it so, I will offer a Ukrainian reform concept already
this June. We are working on this issue daily, and every day I find some
time to consider these issues. The work is going on, we attract the best
world specialists from worldwide-known consulting companies, which were
involved in the reforms in various countries. These reforms have already
been estimated as positive. So, they already started yielding some
results," Yanukovich said.
"The most important thing that was done for the past period of time is
the formation of the vertical of power, the creation of a real procedure
to fulfill the decisions taken recently. Currently the president, the
government and the coalition in the parliament are working as a common
mechanism. This is the most important thing," he underlined.

.Russia-Ukraine economic cooperation to invigorate Ukraine economy.

KIEV, May 24 (Itar-Tass) -- Economic cooperation with Russia,
particularly joint projects in the aircraft building industry, will
invigorate Ukrainian economy. Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovich
believes. "Joint efforts will give us an economic growth in the future, a
higher production output and new jobs," the president said in an interview
with three Ukrainian television channels on Sunday.
Meanwhile, he acknowledged that some disagreements arise during the
bilateral negotiations. "We have to look for compromises," the president
added.
Yanukovich noted that the Ukrainian aircraft building industry cannot
develop well without cooperation with Russia. "The current Ukrainian
aircraft building industry produces an airplane annually," he added.
"We will launch the commercial production of airplanes of the An
family that we cannot do ourselves. The world companies pooled their
efforts a long time ago. How Boeing and Airbus operate? They are operating
with long-term prospects, while we are lagging behind. Therefore, a joint
decision should be taken that I think will suit Ukraine and Russia," the
president said.
Alongside, Yanukovich emphasized that no matter with what partner
Ukraine cooperates - with Russia or with Europe, the country will always
protect its national interests.
"This is the most important thing," the Ukrainian leader underlined.

.Ukraine calls for USSR property division between ex-Soviet nations.

KIEV, May 24 (Itar-Tass) -- Ukraine calls for the property division of
the former Soviet Union between all former Soviet republics, Ukrainian
President Viktor Yanukovich said in an interview with three Ukrainian
television channels on Sunday.
"The negotiations on the former Soviet Union property division have
been on from the first years of Ukraine's independence, but a solution to
the problem has not been found yet. We believe that the former Soviet
Union property should be divided between the nations incorporated in the
former union," Yanukovich said.
Meanwhile, he noted that the former Soviet republics still lack a
mechanism for taking this decision.
The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry noted that Ukraine possesses one sixth
of all Soviet property abroad, particularly the assets worth 20 billion
dollars, about eight billion roubles, and the property to the tune of 20
million dollars and 42 tonnes of gold.
After the Soviet Union collapse Russia as a successor state assumed
the repayment of the Soviet foreign debt, given the Soviet Union assets
are handed over to the country. By the beginning of this year Russia
completed the repayment of the Soviet foreign debt. Ukraine offered to
Russia to repay some part of the Soviet debt paid off by Moscow.
-0-baz


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