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FOREIGN AFFAIRS REPORTER
Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko got a hero’s welcome yesterday from a packed house of elite business people, as he told the Economic Club of Toronto that his country was on the verge of becoming a great modern power.
"We are in a very dynamic process … that has never been like this before," said Yushchenko, the moving force behind the "Orange Revolution" that defeated a rival widely accused of falsifying the presidential poll, and led to burgeoning economic growth.
"Three years ago no one in the world recognized us as a market economy. Today we are the 152nd member of the WTO (World Trade Organization)."
Yushchenko, who wore a dark suit and spoke in Ukrainian, reminded his audience – many from the local diaspora – of the country’s often desperate struggle for independence, with a "huge price" paid during decades of Soviet repression that killed millions from famine, deportation and war.
"Look at our history," he said. "We declared independence six times, and five times we lost it."
Yesterday’s visit to Toronto rounded out a successful three-day trip to Canada, a break from the political wrangling of Kyiv, where he is losing popular support and tussling with foes, including an ambitious rival, Yulia Tymoshenko.
A highlight of the trip was an emotional Parliament Hill commemoration of the International Holodomor Remembrance Flame, which marks the 1930s famine, and an address to Parliament that won standing ovations.
In Toronto yesterday, Yushchenko, a Ukrainian history and culture buff, visited a Royal Ontario Museum exhibit, slated to open in the fall, featuring the country’s ancient Trypillian culture. Earlier, he awarded Toronto writer Marsha Skrypuch the Order of Princess Olha, the highest Ukrainian honour for citizens of foreign countries, for her writing on the famine.
Yushchenko said that after decades of Soviet rule, Ukraine must ensure its future security with membership in NATO and the European Union. He praised Canada for its support for his country’s efforts to move closer to the West.

thestar.com


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