UWC leadership met with government officials, Members of Parliament and religious leaders in Ukraine and the Ambassador of Canada to Ukraine
On 10 February 2015 in Kyiv, Ukraine, the leadership of the Ukrainian World Congress (UWC) held a series of meetings with government officials, Members of Parliament, religious leaders and community activists in Ukraine, and the Ambassador of Canada to Ukraine to strengthen cooperation in the defence of the independence and territorial integrity of Ukraine with the escalation of armed aggression by the Russian Federation and terrorist activities of the so-called Donetsk and Luhansk people’s republics. The UWC President Eugene Czolij also introduced the newly appointed Director of the UWC Mission to Ukraine Serhiy Kasyanchuk.
The UWC delegation, headed by UWC President Eugene Czolij, included UWC Secretary-General and Chairman of the Australian Federation of Ukrainian Organisations Stefan Romaniw, UWC Vice President Olena Koszarny, Director of the UWC Mission to Ukraine Serhiy Kasyanchuk and UWC Director of Humanitarian Initiatives Dr. Ulana Suprun.
With the Director-General of the Directorate General for Worldwide Ukrainians, Cultural and Humanitarian Cooperation, Ministry of Foreign Affairs Larysa Dir, the UWC leadership discussed a joint plan of action in the framework of the August 2014 Memorandum of Cooperation between the Ukrainian World Congress and the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine.
During a meeting with the Chairman of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) Valentyn Nalyvaichenko the focus was on providing the SBU with educational, medical and tactical medicine assistance in accordance with the Memorandum on Partnership between the Ukrainian World Congress Humanitarian Initiative Patriot Defence and the Security Service of Ukraine and the means of disseminating factual information about Ukraine in the world.
Issues related to Ukrainian laws affecting the diaspora, the involvement of the UWC in the process of adoption of legislation, and parliamentary friendship groups in various countries were discussed during a meeting with Members of the Parliament of Ukraine. Participating in this meeting were the Chair of the Committee on Foreign Affairs Hanna Hopko, First Deputy Chair Ivanna Klympush Tsintsadze, Deputy Chair Viktor Vovk, Deputy Chair of the Budget Committee Viktor Kryvenko, Ihor Huz, Yaroslav Markevych and the Chair of the Ukraine-Australia Parliamentary Friendship Group Oksana Masorina.
The UWC President Eugene Czolij greeted the All-Ukrainian Council of Churches and Religious Organizations during their meeting chaired by Patriarch Filaret, Head of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church Kyiv Patriarchate, and assured the continued support by the Ukrainian diaspora of Ukraine’s independence and territorial integrity.
In the evening, the Ambassador of Canada to Ukraine Roman Waschuk hosted the UWC leadership and the UWC President expressed gratitude to Canada for its strong support of Ukraine.
“All of our meetings were productive and served to strengthen ties with various structures in Ukraine for continued effective cooperation,” commented UWC President Eugene Czolij.
On 10 February 2015 in Kyiv, Ukraine, Ukrainian World Congress (UWC) Leadership met the Vice President of the World Jewish Congress, Josef Zissels, and the President of the World Congress of Crimean Tatars, Refat Chubarov, to discuss the concept of the “Coalition for democratic choice” and future cooperation in support of peoples that have chosen the democratic path of development.
The UWC Secretary-General and Chairman of the Australian Federation of Ukrainian Organisations Stefan Romaniw, UWC Vice President Olena Koszarny, Director of the UWC Mission to Ukraine Serhiy Kasyanchuk and UWC Director of Humanitarian Initiatives Dr. Ulana Suprun also participated in this meeting.
“This was a very timely and constructive meeting to form strategic alliances in defence of fundamental freedoms and human rights,” stated UWC President Eugene Czolij.
From left: O. Koszarny, S. Romaniw, J. Zissels, E. Czolij,
R. Chubarov and U. Suprun
On 11 February 2015 the leadership of the Ukrainian World Congress (UWC) led by its President Eugene Czolij met with Chairperson of the Parliament of Ukraine Volodymyr Groysman, Minister of Health of Ukraine Alexander Kvitashvili, Minister of Social Policy of Ukraine Pavlo Rozenko, and Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine Oleksandr Turchynov.
The main focus was on effective means for the Ukrainian diaspora to assist Ukraine with strategic issues related to the defence of the independence and territorial integrity of Ukraine.
The need for coordinated action between Ukraine and the Ukrainian diaspora was emphasized, particularly on key issues such as disseminating factual information on current events in Ukraine and broadening the humanitarian initiatives of the diaspora coordinated by the UWC, including the project Patriot Defence which provides Ukrainian soldiers with combat Improved First Aid Kits, the necessary training on their use, and organizes seminars on tactical medicine. Also discussed was medical support, specifically establishing mobile clinics and rehabilitation centres, and assistance for internally displaced persons. Participants of the meetings underscored the importance of implementing broad reforms in Ukraine and the participation of the UWC in parliamentary hearings on new legislation.
Specific plans of action were suggested in the framework of the Memorandum of Cooperation between the Ukrainian World Congress and the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine. In this context, the key role of the newly appointed Director of the UWC Mission to Ukraine, Serhiy Kasyanchuk, was noted in strengthening the cooperation between the UWC and Ukraine’s governing authorities and civil society.
The UWC leadership also met with the Director of the Institute of National Memory, Volodymyr Viatrovych, and discussed such topics as a National Pantheon of Heroes, a EuroMaidan Museum, and the continued cooperation to further the global recognition of the Holodomor as a genocide of the Ukrainian people.
On this day, the UWC leaderhsip met with volunteers of the UWC Humanitarian Initiative Patriot Defence and thanked them for their important work.
The UWC delegation included UWC President Eugene Czolij, UWC Secretary-General and Chairman of the Australian Federation of Ukrainian Organisations Stefan Romaniw, UWC Vice President Olena Koszarny, Director of the UWC Mission to Ukraine Serhiy Kasyanchuk and UWC Director of Humanitarian Initiatives Dr. Ulana Suprun.
“I am convinced that the strengthening of ties between the Ukrainian World Congress and the governing authorities and civil society of Ukraine will contribute to the most effective realization of our joint plans for the benefit of Ukraine and the entire Ukrainian nation,” stated UWC President Eugene Czolij.
