June 23, 2011
PRESS RELEASE
UKRAINIAN WORLD CONGRESS STATEMENT
ON THE 15th ANNIVERSARY OF UKRAINE’S CONSTITUTION
June 28, 2011 will mark 15 years from the historic day of national significance when the Verkhovna Rada, expressing the will of the Ukrainian people, adopted the Constitution – Fundamental Law of Ukraine.
As a document which has the highest juridical authority, the Constitution of Ukraine is the foundation of the independent Ukrainian state’s legal system and its legislation and the primary guarantor of state sovereignty, the establishment and development of government institutions and the consolidation of Ukrainian society. Based on the better examples of international and Ukrainian nation building experiences, including, in particular, the Ukrainian Constitution authored by Pylyp Orlyk, the Constitution of Ukraine is the basis for the development and strengthening of Ukraine as a democratic, social and legal state recognizing life and health, honour and dignity, and the inviolability and security of the individual as the highest social values. The importance of the Constitution of Ukraine lies also in the fact that it defines Ukraine’s orientation with respect to joining the European and international legal framework, and secures the principles of its development as a full-fledged member of the international community.
“The Ukrainian World Congress expresses its deep concern about the lack of respect on the part of the current Ukrainian government authorities for the provisions of Ukraine’s Constitution, in particular article 10 (on Ukrainian as the state language), article 17 (on preventing the establishment of foreign military bases on the territory of Ukraine) and article 20 (on the state flag of Ukraine). The Ukrainian World Congress calls upon all representatives of the Ukrainian government to firmly abide by constitutional norms, guarantee the defense of human rights and freedoms, and fully contribute to the development of Ukraine as a democratic legal state,” stated UWC President Eugene Czolij.
