Azarov says opposition exaggerates corruption in Ukraine

Ukrainian Prime Minister Mykola Azarov has said he is dissatisfied with the way corruption is addressed in Ukraine, but that he also notes improvements in anticorruption efforts.

"I cannot say that I'm happy with the situation we now have in Ukraine. That's true – I'm dissatisfied. However, a lot is being done in the country, and one cannot say that there are no improvements. This is one of the stereotypes Ukraine is being labeled with," he said on Saturday during the 9th Yalta Annual Meeting.

In his opinion, the opposition very often exaggerates the scale of the problem in the country.

"The problem exists, and the government is fighting it, but not everything goes as well as it would like it to, but it [the problem] is not of the scale as described by our opposition," he added.

Azarov cited preparations for the Euro 2012 as an example.

"Our opponents claim that about Hr 40 billion was stolen while constructing airports, highways and stadiums, which equaled about $5 billion. Such accusations make me smile, as the preparations cost $5 billion in total. And if it had been stolen, what would we have spent to build all these things?" he said.