The unprofessionalism of the leaders of the transportation ministry poses a threat to national security and may undermine Ukraine’s reputation as one of the world’s leading transit states, President Victor Yushchenko’s deputy chief of staff, Viktor Bondar, said on Tuesday, President's press office reported.
Kazakhstan has started transit talks with Belarus, he said. Bondar called this fact the “first alarming ring,” as Ukraine might lose a big share of the transit market under Transportation Minister Mykola Rudkovsky. He said Rudkovsky and his ministry were “unable and reluctant to resolve problems with our partners.”
“There have been no final conclusions in the [July 16] chemical accident yet but the transportation ministry and the emergency ministry have already accused Kazakhstan of it,” he said. “Kazakhstan’s statement is a serious warning about Ukraine’s possible losses in this segment.”
Bondar described Ukraine’s transit capabilities as a “very important resource” because of the country’s favorable geographic location. He said the spill in the Lviv region showed there was “no systemic work” to optimize Ukraine’s transit potential, accusing the management of Ukrzaliznytsya and the leaders of the transportation ministry of losing “more and more” transit contracts annually.
Bondar insisted that the government must:
-suspend Rudkovsky and other leaders of the transportation ministry;
-audit the transportation ministry and Ukrzaliznytsya, and monitor the implementation of transportation programs,
-assign tasks to the ministers more clearly so that they do not accuse one another of their mistakes and failures.
“Without taking these measures the irresponsibility and negligence of the incumbent leadership of the abovementioned ministries will only deepen the threat to the nation’s interests and the country’s security,” he said.
