Volodymyr Ohryzko, Foreign Affairs Minister Foreign Affairs Minister Volodymyr Ohryzko has called for reduction of the size of the Ukraine's contributions to the single budget of the Commonwealth of Independent States, which is financed from the state budgets of the states-members of the commonwealth, he told this to the Fifth TV Channel company.

"We intend to pay for the events we are taking part in within the CIS, and do not pay for the events we are not taking part in," the minister said.

Ohryzko said that in early 2008, Ukraine paid USD 400,000 to the CIS budget, which is quite enough to cover the expenses for organization of the events Ukrainian representative take part in.

The minister said that the payment of the last part of the fee is inexpedient due to the financial turmoil.

In compliance with the budget of the CIS for 2008, which was endorsed at the meeting of the Council of prime ministers of the commonwealth states on November 22, 2007, the share fee of Ukraine is RUR 44.2 million (about UAH 1.6 million) or 11.3% of the CIS budget.

At the same time, Ukraine endorsed the CIS budget marking that the fee would not exceed the amount envisaged in the state budget for 2008 for these purposes.

Besides, Ukraine refused to finance the expenditures of the executive committee and CIS agencies for provision of their international activity and expenses of the election supervisors.

In compliance with the decision of the CIS presidents, nonpayment of the contributions to the CIS budget entails nonparticipation of a member's representatives in the agencies of the CIS.

As Ukrainian News earlier reported, Verkhovna Rada deputy of the Our Ukraine People's Self-Defense Bloc faction and chairman of the parliamentary committee for the European integration Borys Tarasiuk has called for withdrawal of Ukraine from the Commonwealth of Independent States.