Petro Poroshenko, a former Ukrainian foreign minister and national security chief, has been appointed the country’s new minister for economic development and trade, according to a decree published on the presidential website on Friday.
Poroshenko, who is often viewed as one of the most influential Ukrainian politicians, has headed the Council of Ukraine’s National Bank since 2007. He served as head of the National Security Council in 2005 and as foreign minister since 2009 until last March.
The economy minister’s position, previously occupied by Andrei Kluyev, has been vacant since mid-February, when Kluyev became the National Security Council chief.
Prime Minister Mykola Azarov proposed Poroshenko for the post a month ago but President Viktor Yanukovich has since been reluctant to approve his candidacy, saying he was waiting for the would-be minister to present concrete proposals on how to improve the country’s crisis-hit economy.
