Ukrainian foreign minister will keep post despite Russian ambassador scandal, say political experts
Kyiv, February 20 (Interfax-Ukraine) – The tensions between Ukraine and Russia during the row over statements by Russian Ambassador in Ukraine Viktor Chernomyrdin and the Foreign Ministry's reaction harm the reputation of both sides, political experts have said.
"We respect Viktor Chernomyrdin, he is a former Russian prime minister, a very serious figure, but nobody is allowed to make statements about Ukraine and its officials such as those in the interview with the Komsomolskaya Pravda newspaper, especially him being an ambassador of Russia in Ukraine," Director of the Open Policy analytical center Ihor Zhdanov said during a conference entitled "Results of the political week as seen by experts," which was held on Friday at Interfax-Ukraine.
Zhdanov said the reaction of Foreign Ministry, however, was "too nervous." The political expert said he was sure that the incident could have been resolved via a private talk with Foreign Minister Volodymyr Ohryzko.
Zhdanov said he was sure that the Ukrainian foreign minister would manage to keep his job.
"Even if parliament approves a vote of no-confidence, the president is the one who introduces a new candidate [for foreign minister]," he said.
According to the director of the Horshenin Institute of Management Problems, Kost Bondarenko, the incident "harms the reputation of both Russia and Ukraine."