You're reading: German expert Hans-Georg Wieck: ‘International community will follow closely’ the Kuchma case

Editor’s Note: Olena Tregub, a freelance contributor to the Kyiv Post, conducted a series of interviews with German experts on Ukraine. The following is one of them.

Hans-Georg Wieck is chairman of the German non-governmental organization “Human Rights in Belarus” in Berlin. From 1954 until 1993, he was a member of the German Foreign Service and served as ambassador in Teheran (1974-1977), Moscow (1977-1980), at the North Atlantic Council-NATO (1980-1985) and in New Delhi (1990-1993). He was also director of politico-military Planning at the German Ministry of Defense (1970-1974), president of the Federal German Foreign Intelligence Agency BND (1985-1990) and head of the OSCE Advisory and Monitoring Group in Belarus (1997-2001).

Kyiv Post: How would you assess the results of President Viktor Yanukovych’s first year of presidency in comparison to those of the previous Orange Revolution leadership of ex-President Viktor Yushchenko and ex-Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko?

HW: The current presidency reactivates and strengthens the role of state institutions to the detriment of the rights of the citizens and the concept of an open society as promulgated by the Orange Revolution. Disturbing developments in the media sector illustrate this change of direction.

KP: Should the European Union use the association, DCFTA and Visa-Free Regime negotiations as a leverage and conditionality factor to promote political and other reforms in Ukraine, or should these agreements be signed as soon as possible?

HW: It would be a wrong signal and a false understanding of the essence of the EU for a potential new member to sign agreements between the EU and Ukraine without visible improvements of the currently unsatisfactory situation concerning mass media, regarding political rights of citizens as well as political parties, and with regard to free and fair elections under independent surveillance.

KP: Could and should the current pro-Russian German position be replaced by a pro-Ukrainian position? To which degree may domestic political changes in Germany play a role for its future Eastern policy positions?

HW: Arguments within Germany have been put forward for quite some time in order to subordinate German and European positions regarding Ukraine to the priorities and needs of German-Russian and European-Russian relations. Today – in Berlin and in Brussels — relations with Ukraine are seen and handled under the guidelines adopted and promulgated by the Eastern Partnership at the Prague Summit in 2009 – with the personal participation of the German Chancellor Angels Merkel. The Prague decision of the EU envisages political approximation and economic integration of Ukraine and of other specifically identified successor states of the Soviet Union – each one on its own merits and in light of the progress achieved in the reform process. Such reforms are not in conflict with the interests of Ukraine or of other countries participating in the Eastern Partnership.

KP: Do you have any specific advice for the Ukrainian government to change Ukraine’s image in Germany for the better, and improve Ukraine’s attractiveness for German investors?

HW: Based on its strong medium-sized industry, the economy of Germany is booming. This is the time for outsourcing manufacturing of parts to upcoming economies in Europe – including Ukraine. The government in Kyiv can facilitate such contacts and contracts in many ways – primarily by establishing enduring contacts with public institutions such as the Chambers of Industry and Commerce. Workshops in specific branches are one of the micro-economic tools to be used extensively. The conclusion of the Association Agreement would greatly facilitate such a development. This is a strategic decision of great importance for the future of the Ukrainian economy and its diversification.

KP: Did the decision of Yanukovych to prosecute the former President Leonid Kuchma for the 2000 murder of journalist Georgiy Gongadze add credibility to the current government and improve its image in the West? What are your expectations about how this case should be resolved?

HW: The international community will follow closely the proceedings against former President Kuchma. International standards of independent judiciary have to be met, which include unhindered international domestic monitoring of the proceedings.

KP: Do you think Ukraine will ever enter the EU, and, if so, under which conditions and when approximately?

HW: The entrance of Ukraine into the European Union should not be considered a “second best solution” for the issues the country faces, but the optimal solution to its problems, its safe future in Europe and in its relations with the Russian Federation that – for their own reasons – cannot be a member of the European Union itself, but a close and friendly partner of the European Union.

KP: Do you think Tymoshenko’s arrest will affect the signing of association agreement between Ukraine and the EU?

HW: The arrest raises serious doubts about the independence of the judiciary in the country. Political and economic approximation of the country with the European Union, however, remains in my eyes a valid goal of our common efforts.

Olena Tregub is a freelance journalist who regularly contributes to the Kyiv Post.