Ukraine clears Czech envoy

While Ukrainian officials have finally agreed to accept Ivan Počuch as the Czech Republic's new ambassador in their country, the relationship between the two nations still appears to be on shaky ground.

Počuch, the former director of the Foreign Affairs Ministry's security policy department, was appointed to the post in Kyiv in May, but he was forced to wait more than two months while Ukrainian leaders held up approval. The Czech Republic has been without an ambassador to Ukraine since early 2010, when Jaroslav Bašta left the post because of poor health.

Relations between the two countries have been strained since January, when the Czech Republic granted asylum to former Ukrainian Economic Minister Bohdan Danylyshyn, who had fled his country when its current prime minister, Viktor Yanukovych, began having members of the previous Cabinet - led by his rival, former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko - arrested and prosecuted as criminals.

Czech officials' decision to welcome Danylyshyn upset their Ukrainian counterparts, who in May expelled two Czech diplomats from the country, saying they were spies.

But the relationship has shown no sign of healing since, despite Počuch filling the vacant ambassador slot.

Foreign Affairs Minister Karel Schwarzenberg and President Václav Klaus joined the throngs of world leaders who have questioned the ongoing trial of Tymoshenko, who is accused by Yanukovych of having abused her powers while still prime minister by signing a natural-gas deal with Russia. Her trial began in May and has drawn criticism from Western governments that say the trial is undemocratic and an obvious attempt by Yanukovych to stamp out political opposition.

"The most able and important leader of the opposition will be eliminated from the political struggle," Schwarzenberg told reporters Aug. 11. "That points to nothing good."

That same day, Klaus wrote a letter to Yanukovych asking to be assured that the charges against Tymoshenko were legitimate and the trial was not a political one. Yanukovych wrote back saying he does not plan to interfere with the case and that the trials of Tymoshenko and her Cabinet members are not politically motivated.

Meanwhile, Schwarzenberg has continued his criticism of the Ukrainian government in recent days, suggesting to a Berlin newspaper that the country has a long way to go to prove it should become a member of the European Union.

"Ukraine exactly knows that huge reforms - including political ones - lie ahead of it," Schwarzenberg told the daily Der Tagesspiegel, adding the Czech Republic is refusing to sign the association agreement required for all countries trying to join the EU. "Our stand will definitely be supported by more countries.

"I do not believe the EU would betray its framework conditions for purely economic reasons."

Jack Buehrer can be reached at
jbuehrer@praguepost.com