KIEV, Jan. 23 ??“ President Viktor Yushchenko fired Ukraine??™s Ambassador to Austria and will seek dismissals of other officials, including Transportation Minister Mykola Rudkovskiy, for allowing deterioration of relations with key gas supplier Turkmenistan.

The ousting of Volodymyr Yelchenko, an experienced diplomat, is a reaction to two Turkmen opposition leaders sneaking in Ukraine last month to make controversial statements that had damaged relations between Kiev and Ashgabat.