Ukrainian president outlines major reform plan

Ukraine's President Petro Poroshenko speaks to the media during a news conference in Kiev, September 25, 2014. [Photo/Agencies]

KIEV -- Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko on Thursday outlined eight major reform priorities the country should undertake before 2020.

"The reform process needs collaborative efforts of all branches of the government, society and business. And my function as president is to create the political conditions that would promote the reforms," he said at a press conference unveiling the program entitled "Strategy 2020."

Poroshenko said decentralization reform is one of the top priorities for Ukraine to improve the situation in the country.

"I would suggest the next parliament to adopt constitutional changes that will address issues relating to decentralization," Poroshenko said.

The president added that the reform plan will also push forward deregulation and fiscal changes to improve business environment in the country.

In addition, the president stressed the importance of reforms in Ukraine's defense sector to effectively respond to security challenges and ensure the safety and integrity of the country.

Poroshenko said he believed it was also necessary for his state to implement anti-corruption, administrative, judicial and law enforcement reforms to curb misuse of public funds and abuse of power.

Besides the top-priority tasks, Poroshenko underlined the need to ensure the country's energy security and promote Ukraine's images abroad.

Reiterating Ukraine's commitment to European integration, Poroshenko stressed the importance of developing relations with western and eastern partners, in particular with Russia, to stabilize the situation in Ukraine.

According to UN estimates, at least 3,171 people have been killed and 8,061 others wounded during the five-month-old conflict in eastern Ukraine, while hundreds of thousands of people have fled the region.

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