KIEV, December 7 (Itar-Tass) - Ukrainian Prime Minister Nikolai Azarov has pointed to what he argues is biased media coverage of protest demonstrations by the Opposition. He shared his opinions in an interview to foreign mass media. The Ukrainian government’s public relations office has published extracts from that interview.
“Quite a few various rumours are being circulated these days,” Azarov said. “Anyone who watches our TV channels long enough may have the impression that the whole of Ukraine is demonstrating. This is not so.”
Azarov believes that the local mass media have been ignoring many rallies in support of the president and the government. Also, he added that on his page in the social network Facebook one might come across people’s questions like this: “Why don’t they show a very large part of Ukraine? Why? How come one part of Ukraine, whose delegates have gathered for the pro-EU demonstrations, or those in the Western parts of Ukraine, do have a say, and we don’t? In the meantime, it is our regions that generate the bulk of the country’s GDP. It is our regions that create the main financial resources that eventually go to the state budget. The state budget depends on our work. Why don’t you as the prime minster do nothing to ensure an even, balanced coverage? We keep working, don’t we?”
Azarov recalled that this year the country saw a record-high grain harvest of 63 million tonnes.
“This means that the country keeps working, and not demonstrating in the squares,” Azarov said. “Industrial plants, businesses and transport are in operation.”
At this point it is very hard to understand what kind of demands the pro-EU demonstrators are pressing for. In any case the government will be prepared to discuss these demands. It is open to a dialogue.
“Our attitude to the demonstrators is absolutely normal,” Azarov said, adding that Kiev was not the whole of Ukraine, while one should bear in mind the opinion of the entire country, of all of its 46 million citizens, and not the ten thousand or possibly 200,000 in the squares.
“The demonstrators are not in the position to dictate solutions that concern the whole country, the whole of Ukraine,” he said.