On 30 September 2016 Ukrainian World Congress (UWC) President Eugene Czolij concluded a five-day working visit to Kyiv, Ukraine, where he met with high-ranking religious and state leaders of Ukraine, representatives of the international community, Ukrainian civil society, and also participated in commemorative initiatives in Kyiv remembering the victims of Babyn Yar on the 75th anniversary of this tragedy.
During the meetings the UWC President focused attention on the continued cooperation in the defence of the independence and territorial integrity of Ukraine and the human rights of the residents of Donbas and the illegally occupied by the Russian Federation Crimea, the acceleration of the European and Euro‑Atlantic integration of Ukraine, and providing Ukraine with the necessary humanitarian aid to overcome the consequences of Russian aggression. Also discussed were measures to strengthen joint actions to convince the international community that today’s Russian aggression in Ukraine is an international crisis and that, in defending its own borders, Ukraine is stopping the advance of Russian imperialism to the West. In conjunction with this, topics included convincing the international community to extend economic sanctions against the Russian Federation until such time that it fully complies with the Minsk agreements and de-occupies Crimea, and also about countering Russian disinformation.
On 27 September 2016 UWC President Eugene Czolij and Prime Minister of Ukraine Volodymyr Groysman signed a Memorandum on Cooperation between the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine and the Ukrainian World Congress.
While in Kyiv, the UWC President led a UWC delegation which, on the invitation of the Prime Minister and Administration of the President of Ukraine, joined commemorative events in Kyiv remembering the victims of Babyn Yar.
On 27 September 2016 UWC President Eugene Czolij addressed a parliamentary hearing in Ukraine on the topic: “75th anniversary of the tragedy of Babyn Yar: lessons of history and the present.”
He also extended greetings to a public symposium organized by the charitable initiative Ukrainian Jewish Encounter, participated in commemorations in the National Historical Memorial Preserve “Babyn Yar” and the memorial reception during which he extended greetings to President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko and First Lady Maryna Poroshenko, and also attended a commemorative concert at the National Opera.
On 29 September 2016 the UWC President made introductory remarks at the “Prism Security Debates” on the topic: “Ukraine – EU: Perspectives of strengthening security cooperation” organized by the Friedrich Ebert Foundation in partnership with the Foreign Policy Council “Ukrainian Prism” and the Ukrainian National Platform of the Eastern Partnership Civil Society Forum.
On 30 September 2016 UWC President Eugene Czolij and Director of the Lviv Polytechnic National University International Institute of Education, Culture and Diaspora Relations Iryna Klyuchkovska signed a Memorandum on Cooperation between the Ukrainian World Congress and the Lviv Polytechnic National University International Institute of Education, Culture and Diaspora Relations.
The UWC President also discussed Ukrainian-Polish historical issues with Advisor to the Chairman of the Parliament of Ukraine Ostap Kryvdyk, Head of External Relations of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church Mitred Archpriest Fr. Oleksa Petriv, Director of the Ukrainian Institute of National Remembrance Volodymyr Vyatrovych and Deputy Director Alina Shpak, Director of the Lviv Polytechnic National University International Institute of Education, Culture and Diaspora Relations Iryna Klyuchkovska, and Co-Chair of the Civic Committee commemorating the memory of the victims of the Holodomor-Genocide in Ukraine Ivan Vasiunyk.
The UWC President was accompanied during his visit to Ukraine by UWC Liaison Officer to International Organizations Maryna Iaroshevych.
Joining the UWC President to separate meetings were UWC First Vice President Jaroszlava Hartyanyi, UWC Vice Presidents Olena Koszarny and Tamara Gallo Olexy, UWC Treasurer Zenon Potichny, Ukrainian Congress Committee of America President Andrew Futey, Director of the UWC Mission to Ukraine Serhiy Kasyanchuk, UWC Director of Humanitarian Initiatives Victor Hetmanczuk, and prominent Ukrainian community activist from Canada and producer of the feature film “Bitter Harvest” Ihor Ihnatowycz.
Additional information on the meetings of the UWC President with the Prime Minister of Ukraine and Deputy Minister of Defence of Ukraine is available on official state web-portals.
List of individuals with whom the UWC President met:
Head of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Kyivan Patriarchate Patriarch Filaret
Archbishop of Chernihiv and Nizhyn, Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Kyivan Patriarchate Yevstratiy
Eparch of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Eparchy of Paris Bishop Borys Gudziak
Chief Rabbi of Kyiv and Ukraine Yaakov Dov Bleich
Head of External Relations of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church Mitred Archpriest Fr. Oleksa Petriv
Prime Minister of Ukraine Volodymyr Groysman
Chairperson of the Parliament of Ukraine Andriy Parubiy
Vice-President of the European Parliament Ryszard Czarnecki
Former President of Latvia Valdis Zatlers
Head of the EU Delegation to Ukraine Hugues Mingarelli
First Vice-Prime Minister, Minister of Economic Development and Trade of Ukraine Stepan Kubiv
Vice-Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration of Ukraine Ivanna Klympush-Tsintsadze
Deputy Chairperson of the Parliament of Ukraine Oksana Syroid
Chairperson of the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the Parliament of Ukraine Hanna Hopkо
Chairperson of the Permanent Delegation of the Parliament of Ukraine in the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe Volodymyr Ariev
Chairperson of the Permanent Delegation of the Parliament of Ukraine in the Parliamentary Assembly of NATO Iryna Friz
Minister of Education and Science of Ukraine Liliya Hrynevych
Minister of Culture of Ukraine Yevhen Nyschuk
Deputy Minister of Defence of Ukraine for European Integration Ihor Dolhov
Deputy Minister of Justice of Ukraine Anton Yanchuk
Deputy Minister for Temporarily Occupied Territories and Internally Displaced Persons of Ukraine, Chief of Staff Serhiy Zlakoman
Deputy Minister of Information Policy of Ukraine, Chief of Staff Artem Bidenko
Deputy Chairperson of the Committee on European Integration of the Parliament of Ukraine Maria Ionova
Deputy Chairperson of the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the Parliament of Ukraine Borys Tarasiuk
Member of the Permanent Delegation of the Parliament of Ukraine in the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe Olena Sotnyk
Director of the Ukrainian Institute of National Remembrance Volodymyr Viatrovych
Director of the Lviv Polytechnic National University International Institute of Education, Culture and Diaspora Relations Iryna Klyuchkovska
Director of the NATO Information and Documentation Centre in Kyiv Natalia Nemyliwska
