November 14, 2011
PRESS RELEASE
UWC PRESIDENT MEETS WITH POLAND’S HIGH-RANKING OFFICIALS
On November 3, 2011, while in Warsaw, Poland, the Ukrainian World Congress (UWC) President, Eugene Czolij, met with the Head of the Chancellery of the President of Poland, Jacek Michalowski, and the Minister Responsible for Foreign Affairs in the President’s Chancellery, Jaromir Sokolowski, as well as with the Undersecretary of State for External Affairs, Krzysztof Stanowski. Joining the UWC President were the President of the Association of Ukrainians in Poland (AUP), Piotr Tyma, and Polish Sejm Deputy and AUP Board Member, Miron Sycz.
During the meetings, the UWC President expressed gratitude to the Polish authorities for recognizing the 1932-33 Holodomor in 2006 as an act of genocide against the Ukrainian nation and returning the Ukrainian Home in Przemysl to the AUP earlier this year .
Eugene Czolij drew the attention of Poland’s high-ranking officials to the deterioration of democracy and the violations of fundamental freedoms and human rights in Ukraine. He also stressed the importance of Ukraine’s integration into European structures, which will enhance its democratization and Europeanization and distance it from Russia’s sphere of influence. The UWC President called upon Poland, as Chair of the EU Council, to support the initialing of the EU-Ukraine Association Agreement by the end of this year. Given that Poland has been a member of the European Union since 2004, the UWC President also encouraged Poland’s governing authorities to sensitize Ukrainian citizens to the benefits of EU membership during official visits to Ukraine, particularly during presentations at universities and town hall meetings.
In addition, Eugene Czolij stressed the need for a large observer mission for the 2012 Parliamentary elections in Ukraine, namely by engaging Ukrainian NGOs in Poland.
