Foreign Minister Borys Tarasyuk, who was conducting the pro-Western policy of President of Ukraine Victor Yushchenko, has announced about his resignation today.
“The President has accepted my resignation”, he said to a news conference in UNIAN today.
He noted that the he made the decision to resign today, after the Shevchenkivskiy district court of Kyiv refused to examine in essence the case brought on his suit against the Verkhovna Rada’s decision to sack him on 1 December 2006.
B.Tarasyuk informed that today he met with President of Ukraine Victor Yushchenko and explained him the motives of his resignation. According to B.Tarasyuk, the situation around his resignation “hampers the interests of the state, and, in particular, the diplomatic service of Ukraine”.
As UNIAN reported earlier, the Finance Ministry refused to allocate funds for the diplomatic work of Borys Tarasyuk, including his foreign visits, and refused to take into consideration financial documents, signed by B.Tarasyuk on the post of the Foreign Minister, Top Deputy Prime Minister, Finance Minister of Ukraine Mykola Azarov announced. At the same time, he added that funds were already allocated to pay salaries to Foreign Ministry employees.
On Jan 19 Ukrainian Foreign Minister Borys Tarasyuk accused the government of cutting off funds to his ministry, leaving Ukraine unable to pay its diplomats or its dues to international organizations.
Parliament in December dismissed Tarasyuk, a presidential appointee, and Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych asked that he be blocked from acting as foreign minister.
Tarasyuk says his dismissal was illegal and President Viktor Yushchenko has kept him in his post.
