Ukrainian World Congress representatives met with Ukraine’s religious and political leaders during the UWC”s delegation’s recent visit to Kyiv. Commencing on Sunday, August 21, 2005 UWC President Askold S. Lozynskyj met privately albeit briefly with the Patriarch of the Ukrainian Catholic Church His Beatitude Lubomyr Husar, voicing support on the Church’s  formal relocation of its seat from Lviv to Kyiv. On Tuesday, August 23, 2005 the UWC delegation met with His Holiness Patriarch Filaret of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, Kyivan Patriarchate, discussing a wide variety of issues involving the unification of Ukrainian orthodox as well as its spiritual canonical recognition by Constantinople. During the “Majdan” ceremonies marking the 14^th anniversary of Ukraine’s independence, the UWC President had a chance meeting with the Chief Rabbi of Kyiv and all Ukraine, Yakov Bleich. 

          Meetings with Ukraine’s political leadership included Minister for foreign affairs Borys Tarasiuk and Chair of Ukraine’s Verkhovna Rada Volodymyr Lytvyn on Friday, August 19, 2005 and Ukraine’s Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko and President Victor Yuschenko on Thursday, August 25, 2005. Issues addressed were outlined in a Memorandum submitted to the President of Ukraine in advance: establishing a line of communication between the office of the President and the Diaspora; recognition of OUN-UPA; Ukrainian language problems; support for the Ukrainian Orthodox Kyiv Patriarchate and the Ukrainian Greek Catholic churches; political and financial support of Ukrainian communities in neighboring countries, i.e. Russian Federation, Belarus and Poland; Famine 1932-33 monument and museum construction; erecting a pantheon of Ukraine’s heroes in Kyiv;  the unfortunate continued observance of soviet holidays, etc.

          In addition to the UWC President, the UWC’s delegation included the following UWC officers: First VP Eugene Czolij, General Secretary Victor Pedenko, upon occasion - Financial Director Bohdan Fedorak, Treasurer Olya Danylak, Executive Director Lesya Szubeliak and World Federation of Ukrainian Women’s Organizations Chair Maria Szkambara, as well as representatives from the United States Michael Sawkiw, Ihor Gawdiak, Stefan Kaczaraj, Jaroslaw Fedun, from Brazil Vittorio Sorotiuk, Stepan Romaniw from Australia,  from Spain Larissa Ponomarenko, from Hungary Jaroslawa Hortiani, Zenon Kowal from Belgium,  Victor Bondarczuk from Germany and Mykhaylo Paripsa from Kazakhstan.

UWC BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETS IN KHARKIV

          The UWC annual Board of Directors meeting convened in Kharkiv from August 17-18, 2005. In addition to members of the Executive Committee, representatives from the UWC’s various councils and commissions as well as the World Federation of Ukrainian Women’s Organizations, the European Congress of Ukrainians and other international member organizations, the meeting was participated in by representatives from some twenty countries which submitted reports either in person or in writing: Armenia,  Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Czech Republic, Estonia,  Germany, Hungary, Italy, Kazakhstan, Lithuania, Poland,  Portugal, Romania, Russian Federation, Slovak Republic, Spain and the United States.  The UWC Directors adopted a budget for 2006, amended the English- language By-laws to conform with action taken on the Ukrainian language By-Laws at the VII Congress in 2003, accepted for membership - the Association of Rusyns-Ukrainians in the Slovak Republic as the central representative organization of Ukrainians in the Slovak Republic and the Federation of Ukrainian Associations in Spain as a national organization. Additionally, a separate Council on Aid to Ukrainian Citizens Abroad was formed, composed primarily of representatives from Spain, Portugal, Italy and Greece.       

          The meeting was held at the Kharkiv Philharmonic, the site seventy-five years ago of the notorious Kharkiv trial where some forty Ukrainian intellectuals with Serhiy Yefremov at the head, were tried for anti-Soviet activity. The trial marked the beginning of a decade of repressions which included the liquidation of the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church, additional arrests of Ukrainian intellectuals commonly referred to as “the executed renaissance,” the Great Famine of 1932-33, followed by additional repressions against intellectuals and the extermination of Ukrainian political prisoners i.e. from the Solovky islands, recently (only in 1997) unearthed in the forests of Sandermoch in the northwest region of the Russian Federation. A requiem service was held at the site of the Kharkiv trial and a commemorative plague was installed and consecrated several blocks away where the late Patriarch Josyp Slipyj of the Ukrainian Catholic Church was interned in 1961. The Requiem and Consecration were carried out by Archbishop Ihor Isichenko of the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church assisted by Ukrainian Catholic and Orthodox clergy. Metropolitan Adrian of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church Kyiv Patriarchy was present.

          The UWC convocation was greeted by the aforesaid Archbishop Ihor Isichenko and several representatives of the Kharkiv oblast and municipal administrations including deputy chair of the Kharkiv oblast,  Jaroslaw Yuschenko, a nephew of Ukraine’s President. Two press conferences were widely attended by the Kharkiv press and UWC representatives appeared at various media outlets. The event concluded with a meeting open to the Kharkiv general populace and a concert choreographed by the Kharkiv Philharmonic’s director.    

UWC PRESIDENT VISITS COMMUNITY IN SLOVAK REPUBLIC

          From August 11-13, 2005, the UWC’s President visited Ukrainian communities in the Slovak Republic at the invitation of the Association of Rusyns-Ukrainians in the Slovak Republic (ARUSR). In addition to community events in Presov and Kosice, a visit to the Rusyn-Ukrainian museum and gallery in Svidnik, the UWC President met with Slovak government figures including former Slovak Republic President Rudolph Schuster, the Governor of Presov and several mayors as well as Ukraine’s Consul General in Presov. The events were reported widely and favorably in the Slovak media. The visit had been scheduled as a fact-finding mission for the purpose of acting on an application by the ARUSR for membership in the UWC. On August 17, 2005 at the UWC Board of Directors meeting in Kharkiv, the Ukrainian community in the Slovak Republic organized within the ARUSR was accepted within the UWC fold.

Аppentix to the newsletter

SLOVAK REPUBLIC

     From August 11-13, 2005, Ukrainian World Congress President Askold S. Lozynskyj was a guest of the Association of Rusyn-Ukrainians in the Slovak Republic (ARUSR). The Slovak Republic(SR) is particularly interesting from the Ukrainian perspective in that Ukrainians-Rusyns reside on their ethnic native land but outside the borders of Ukraine and thus are considered a part of the Diaspora. The total population of the SR is a little more than five million with approximately one hundred thousand Ukrainians-Rusyns. Unfortunately, the last census resulted in a smaller calculation and divided Ukrainian-Rusyns into two groups. A significant problem for Ukrainians in Slovakia is “political Rusynism” which insists that Ukrainians and Rusyns are two different nationalities. The Slovak authorities exploit the ancient maxim “divide and conquer” and popularize the two nationalities theory, thereby diminishing the size and influence of both groups.

        The predominant share of Ukrainians resides in the Presov region (one of seven regions in the SR), in such cities at Presov, Svidnik etc. The headquarters of the ARUSR is situated in Presov. Svidnik is the site of an extraordinary Museum of Ukrainian-Rusyn culture, an art gallery and a “museum beneath the open sky,” where traditional church, school and dwelling architecture from different villages within the Presov region are on display. Svidnik hosts an annual Ukrainian Cultural Festival attracting an audience from all of the SR. The governor of the Presov region and the mayor of Svidnik are both ethnically Ukrainian. Ukrainians have radio programs, newspapers, magazines, schools, Ukrainian language classes, a state professional theatre, choirs and various folklore ensembles. However, the names of streets in areas largely inhabited by Ukrainians are strictly in Slovak in contrast to areas largely concentrated by Hungarians where Hungarian is a second language. The presiding bishop of the Greek Catholic eparchy is Slovak. Financial difficulties arise since funding is earmarked for specific projects only and not administrative expenses. The economic situation in the SR and the lack of financial resources of its citizens does not enable adequate private funding. Further, the community feels an intentional attempt to assimilate Ukrainians within both the Slovak and Roman Catholic amalgams. 

         In the course of his visit, the UWC President met with the SR’s former President Rudolph Schuster, the Governor of the Presov  region, the Mayors of both Presov and Svidnik. Additionally in Presov he visited with Ukraine’s Consul General Inna Ohnivec. Relations between Ukraine and the SR are normal, yet limited. Even after the Slovak Republic’s admission into the European Union, trade with Ukraine increased with the balance favoring Ukraine. During the second day of his visit, the UWC President was hosted at the home of the President of the European Congress of Ukrainians Levko Dovhovych in Kosice. Additionally there was a meeting with the Presidium of the ARUSR, during which both sides provided information about themselves and discussed mutual concerns and the parameters for future cooperation. The press conference held in Presov was widely attended by Slovak and Ukrainian media. Of particular interest was the Slovak Rusyn-Ukrainian community’s imminent induction into UWC membership. Press coverage extended throughout the SR 

        The UWC President was escorted throughout his visit by the Chair of the ARUSR Ivan Laba, his two deputies – Petro Sokol and Pavlo Bohdan together with Ukraine’s Consul General and the ECU President.

     On August 17 2005 the UWC Board of Directors meeting in Kharkiv voted to accept the ARUSR for membership in the UWC.

Askold S. Lozynskyj

President