Ukraine's president has defended a controversial gas deal with Russia and reiterated that the government would stay in office until March parliamentary elections despite a vote to dismiss it.
Viktor Yushchenko said his country's energy relations with Russia became more efficient after a bruising public fight over the price of gas that ended in a deal reached last week.
Under the agreement, the price Ukraine is paying for Russian and Central Asian gas nearly doubled.
"Our relations with Russia on the gas issue became more predictable, efficient and economically grounded," he said on Saturday in his regular radio address to the nation.
Parliament this week voted to fire the Cabinet over the hike in the price of gas imports, as Yushchenko's opponents united in condemning the deal for allegedly violating the country's interests.
Yushchenko called the vote "illegal" and reiterated that Ukraine has a "fully-fledged" government that would work until a new Cabinet is appointed after the March 26 vote.
He called the gas dispute a "difficult exam on political maturity" and warned that "we faced the threat of losing sovereignty, economic independence and freedom."
Yushchenko pointed out that the price -- US$95 per 1,000m3 -- was 30 percent lower than what other former Soviet bloc countries were paying.
The outcome of the energy crisis "demonstrated that Ukraine can defend its national interests and be ... a reliable partner," Yushchenko said.
The compromise was reached only after Russia briefly cut off gas supplies to Ukraine, whose pipeline network pumps most of the gas Russia exports to Europe. The cutoff also resulted in reductions farther west to Europe.
Meanwhile, former prime minister Yulia Tymoshenko renewed her call to annul the gas agreement.
"It was not a gas agreement, it was a shameful deal against Ukraine's independence, welfare, dignity and its possibility to carry out an independent policy in the world," she said in an interview with a private Kiev television and radio company later on Saturday.
"It's not only Ukraine's instability, it is instability for the whole of Europe," Tymoshenko said of the deal.
RETHINK? The defense ministry and Navy Command Headquarters could take over the indigenous submarine project and change its production timeline, a source said Admiral Huang Shu-kuang’s (黃曙光) resignation as head of the Indigenous Submarine Program and as a member of the National Security Council could affect the production of submarines, a source said yesterday. Huang in a statement last night said he had decided to resign due to national security concerns while expressing the hope that it would put a stop to political wrangling that only undermines the advancement of the nation’s defense capabilities. Taiwan People’s Party Legislator Vivian Huang (黃珊珊) yesterday said that the admiral, her older brother, felt it was time for him to step down and that he had completed what he
Taiwan has experienced its most significant improvement in the QS World University Rankings by Subject, data provided on Sunday by international higher education analyst Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) showed. Compared with last year’s edition of the rankings, which measure academic excellence and influence, Taiwanese universities made great improvements in the H Index metric, which evaluates research productivity and its impact, with a notable 30 percent increase overall, QS said. Taiwanese universities also made notable progress in the Citations per Paper metric, which measures the impact of research, achieving a 13 percent increase. Taiwanese universities gained 10 percent in Academic Reputation, but declined 18 percent
UNDER DISCUSSION: The combatant command would integrate fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups to defend waters closest to the coastline, a source said The military could establish a new combatant command as early as 2026, which would be tasked with defending Taiwan’s territorial waters 24 nautical miles (44.4km) from the nation’s coastline, a source familiar with the matter said yesterday. The new command, which would fall under the Naval Command Headquarters, would be led by a vice admiral and integrate existing fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups, along with the Naval Maritime Surveillance and Reconnaissance Command, said the source, who asked to remain anonymous. It could be launched by 2026, but details are being discussed and no final timetable has been announced, the source
SHOT IN THE ARM: The new system can be integrated with Avenger and Stinger missiles to bolster regional air defense capabilities, a defense ministry report said Domestically developed Land Sword II (陸射劍二) missiles were successfully launched and hit target drones during a live-fire exercise at the Jiupeng Military Base in Pingtung County yesterday. The missiles, developed by the Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology (CSIST), were originally scheduled to launch on Tuesday last week, after the Tomb Sweeping Day holiday long weekend, but were postponed to yesterday due to weather conditions. Local residents and military enthusiasts gathered outside the base to watch the missile tests, with the first one launching at 9:10am. The Land Sword II system, which is derived from the Sky Sword II (天劍二) series, was turned