5 December 2013
COMMUNIQUE
UWC President meets with high–ranking Lithuanian and European officials
On 27-29 November 2013, during his visit to Vilnius, Lithuania, Ukrainian World Congress (UWC) President Eugene Czolij held a series of meetings with high-ranking Lithuanian and European Parliament officials and participated in various events taking place in conjunction with the Third Summit of the Eastern Partnership.
On 27 November 2013, the UWC President met with the First Deputy Chancellor of the Lithuanian Government Remigijus Motuzas, Lithuanian Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Andrius Krivas, Members of the Lithuanian Parliament – Leader of the Opposition and former Prime Minister Andrius Kubilius and the Deputy Chair of the Committee of Foreign Affairs Audronis Ažubalis, as well as the Advisor to the President of Lithuania Laurynas Jonavičius.
Eugene Czolij emphasized, that on 24 November 2013 the Ukrainian people protested with widespread actions the decision by Ukraine’s governing authorities to change the Euro-integration course in favour of closer relations with Russia. The UWC President called upon the European Union (EU) to respond to the voice of the people of Ukraine expressing their aspirations to live in a European and truly democratic state and to reaffirm the EU’s readiness to sign the EU-Ukraine Association Agreement. He also noted that, in this critical time, Russia will double its efforts to pull Ukraine into the Customs and Eurasian Unions.
Eugene Czolij also had the opportunity to speak about the European choice of the people of Ukraine with Lithuania’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Linas Linkevičius.
The UWC President further discussed the work of the European Parliament observer mission in Ukraine with its representative Pat Cox, former President of the European Parliament.
In a meeting with Elmar Brok, the Chairman of the European Parliament Committee on Foreign Affairs, Eugene Czolij emphasized the importance of formulating a clear policy with respect to Russia, which is blatantly violating its international commitments, particularly the 1994 Memorandum on Security Assurances in connection with Ukraine’s accession to the Treaty on the Non–Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, with which Russia committed to refrain from economic pressure on Ukraine.
The UWC President discussed current events in Ukraine with the Deputy Speaker of the Lithuanian Parliament Petras Auštrevičius, whom he presented with a Certificate of Acknowledgement for Lithuania’s legislative recognition in 2005 of the Holodomor of 1932-33 as an act of genocide of the Ukrainian people.
Eugene Czolij also visited a Holodomor exhibit in the Lithuanian Parliament with Rimantas Stankevičius, Member of Parliament and Deputy Director of the International Relations Department.
On 28 November 2013 the UWC President addressed in the Lithuanian Parliament the Meeting of Chairpersons of the Committees on Foreign Affairs of Parliaments of the European Union and the Parliamentary Forum for Democracy.
On 29 November 2013 Eugene Czolij participated as a panelist in a Civil Society Conference titled Eastern Partnership Reality Check: Political Challenges and Future Agenda for Civil Society.
The UWC expresses its gratitude to Vasil Kapkan for his assistance in organizing meetings with Lithuanian high‑level officials.
In photo: A. Ažubalis, E. Czolijand A. Kubilius.
