The dream of ​​One Ukraine can become a reality only after the cessation of the war and implementation of a number of essential reforms. This opinion was expressed by MP Serhiy Lovochkin, the founder of the New Ukraine Foundation in his article One Ukraine published in the US Congress newspaper Roll Call on January 20, 2015. http://www.rollcall.com/news/one_ukraine_commentary-239350-1.html

“If Ukrainians fail to find some common ground soon, the idea of One Ukraine may become lost for a generation. Now, more than ever, we need our friends to help us help ourselves,” the policy maker pointed out.

MP Lovochkin emphasized that Ukraine needed a new vision of how to restore the country as the procedure to return the lost territories was getting increasingly complicated. The politician pointed out that Russia had to acknowledge Ukraine’s right to sovereignty in accordance with all the international treaties to which it was a party.

He stressed that the Helsinki Final Act of 1975 was one of such documents.

“Our friends in the West and the East need to hold Russia to that acknowledgement for their own sake, rather than ours. When Moscow-friendly forces depart, which will inevitably happen, they must recognize that all of us will benefit if they do not leave behind scorched earth and complete destruction,” Serhiy Lovochkin believes.

The member of parliament also added that Ukraine needed to implement deep reforms necessary for private enterprise to grow.

“A multinational, non-governmental receivership may be the best way to guarantee that whatever aid comes our way is not squandered,” Serhiy Lovochkin believes.

He noted that the use of international assistance had to be not only transparent, but also effective, which meant that funds had to be provided for the implementation of specific economic reforms, not just to patch budgetary shortfalls.

The politician also said that Ukraine needed an open dialogue between the government and all non-government partners as well as the development of civil society institutes, which carried out an important function of controlling the government.

In his article MP Liovochkin particularly focused on the redistribution of powers between Ukraine’s regions, which would help relieve some of the centrifugal forces tearing the country apart.

“Any country that does not wish us well, must understand that it can no longer exploit resentments between East and West in Ukraine. Effective decentralization is an integral part of our future,” said the member of parliament.

To do this, in his opinion, the political elites in Kiev must end the current policies of payback, which “lustration” really is, and work with at least limited unity towards crafting a decentralization plan that allows regions to keep more of their own revenues, invite and reward investment. “The current government of Ukraine will be able to do this only with the opposition,” Serhiy Lovochkin believes.

He also added that Ukraine needed a deep constitutional reform, which would harmonize the country, improve the system of governance and ensure real decentralization.

“Our foreign friends are asking the right questions, and soon they will see whether there are indeed two sides committed to the same idea of One Ukraine in this country. For Ukraine’s sake, I dearly hope there are. But Europe and Eurasia also share reasons to root for our success,” the politician concluded.