Dear Mr. Saakashvili!

I fully support and share the efforts by the leaders of the country and the region to make a model out of Odesa region and encourage international and domestic investors. However, it should be done in a civilized manner, without populism and the invasion of private property.

The unfinished Zeleny Bereh (Green Coast) recreation center in Odesa is in private ownership and is located on a legally rented plot of land according to an agreement with Odesa City Council. Access to the beach was restricted in Soviet times, (approximately since 1960), i.e. long before the property was bought and the leasing agreement was signed by the new owners

On July 20, 2015, a representative of the city's authorities gave instructions to present permits [for the property] within the following ten days or remove the fence [around it]. However, shortly afterwards, the fence was demolished without any court ruling, without the executive service's representative present on the scene and even without waiting for July 30, the deadline set by the city council. Obviously, it was done for the television.

I'd like to stress that such a precedent damages the business environment and the investment climate. It reminds me of sad episodes dating back almost a century ago, when there was the slogan "everything should be taken away and divided." To citizens who are happy with the manifestations of democracy that is "free" from law, I'd like to remind them about commonly known historical lessons. If today a representative of the government, referring to social justice, drives a bulldozer up to a businessman's hotel, tomorrow [he will drive to] a restaurant or a hairdresser's, and the next day, he will appear at your home. This is only a matter of time.

My partners, including European and American investors, and personally myself, have been working to strengthen the reputation of Ukraine and improve the business climate for more than 20 years, all the while adhering to international standards of doing business. Among the projects of our group are the development of large industrial enterprises and the construction of large-scale commercial and residential complexes. We create jobs, pay taxes, and support social projects. It should be noted that Zeleny Bereh LLC provided charitable assistance to Odesa to the tune of more than a million dollars. The funds were spent on the needs of Odesa Regional Hospital and other municipal programs.

I am sure that to save Ukraine as a country and its regions is to facilitate business, create proper conditions, build new industries that give people jobs and wages. This is what the government should focus on instead of threatening entrepreneurs with opening criminal cases against them or taking away something from them with the use of the administrative resource. We, businessmen, are willing to cooperate with such authorities.

Populism and threats constitute a road to nowhere. To use the allusion to a famous saying by a scientist and philosopher, the real battle now is not between the East and the West and not between capitalism and communism. The real battle is between real deeds and populism, and the latter always leads to poverty.

Let us not repeat the mistakes of the past, let us build a civilized and strong Ukraine together!

Vasyl Khmelnytsky