KIEV (Reuters) - Ukrainian Prime
Minister Mykola Azarov offered his resignation on Tuesday, saying he was
stepping down because of the threat to the economy caused by two months
of unrest, his press service said.
Under the constitution, the departure of the prime minister means the resignation of the entire government.
He said he had personally asked President Viktor Yanukovich to accept
his resignation for the sake of a peaceful settlement to conflict in the
country.
"The conflict
situation which has come about in the country is threatening the
economic and social development of Ukraine, creating a threat to the
whole of Ukrainian society and to each citizen," Azarov said.
"With the aim of creating extra means for finding a social-political
compromise, for the sake of a peaceful settlement of the conflict, I
took the personal decision to ask the president to accept my
resignation," he said.
Azarov, 66, was appointed by Yanukovich after the presidential election
in 2010 and has since steered the heavily indebted economy through hard
times, keeping the national currency tightly pegged to the dollar and
refusing International Monetary Fund pressure to raise gas prices at
home.
A faithful lieutenant
of Yanukovich, he backed the decision in November to walk away from a
free trade agreement with the European Union and it was Azarov who took
the heat in parliament, defending the need for closer economic ties with
Russia.
(Writing By Richard Balmforth; Editing by Jack Stubbs and Timothy Heritage)
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