Yanukovych: Non-aligned status to help Ukraine more actively participate in settlement of international conflicts

Ukraine's non-aligned status opens up opportunities for the country's more active participation as a mediator in the settlement of international conflicts, President Viktor Yanukovych has said.

According to the presidential press service, the head of state said at an Independence Day ceremony on Friday that Ukraine, as a responsible participant in international relations, should make every effort to maintain peace and prevent new confrontations in the world.

Yanukovych said he was confident that Ukraine's authority and experience of work as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council would make the proposals to reform and improve the effectiveness of this organization more important.

He also stressed the need to form a single and indivisible security space in Greater Europe to maintain peace.

"For Ukraine, as well as for other non-aligned states, the discussion of a format for the creation of such security space makes it impossible to obtain additional external security guarantees," Yanukovych said.