January 21, 2011
PRESS RELEASE
UKRAINIAN WORLD CONGRESS IS DEEPLY CONCERNED ABOUT RECENT ACTIONS OF THE MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS OF UKRAINE REGARDING THE UKRAINIAN NATIONAL MINORITY IN RUSSIA
This week the media reported on statements by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine which reveal that the Ministry is assisting the Ukrainian community in Russia to establish a new Ukrainian community organization and that Ukrainian diplomats are working on this issue in accordance with directives received late last year from the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Ukraine. It was also noted that Ukraine has received assurances from the Russian authorities that this initiative will be fully supported.
The Ukrainian World Congress (UWC) is deeply concerned over these actions by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine which have been initiated at a time when pressure is being exerted by Russian authorities on two prominent Ukrainian organizations in Russia, the Federal National Cultural Autonomy of Ukrainians in Russia and the Union of Ukrainians in Russia, who are preparing to defend the right to continue their activities before the Russian Federation Supreme Court.
“The Ukrainian World Congress finds it incredible that Ukrainian officials would even discuss the establishment of a new Ukrainian community organization with Russian authorities that are working purposefully to liquidate already existing Ukrainian organizations in Russia. The Ukrainian World Congress also calls upon Ukrainian authorities to urgently send their observers to the final hearing of the case involving the liquidation of the Federal National Cultural Autonomy of Ukrainians in Russia which will be heard by the Cassation Panel of the Russian Federation Supreme Court on January 27, 2011,” stated UWC President Eugene Czolij.
On January 20, 2011, UWC sent a statement to President Viktor Yanukovych, Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights Nina Karpachova and Ambassador of Ukraine to Russia Volodymyr Yelchenko with an appeal to defend the rights of the Ukrainian national minority in Russia.
Ukrainian World Congress
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