UWC President met with Church Hierarchs, President, Prime Minister, Chairman of Parliament and high-ranking government officials of Ukraine

On 14-17 March 2016, in Kyiv, Ukraine, Ukrainian World Congress (UWC) President Eugene Czolij met with the Head of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church Kyiv Patriarchate, His Holiness Patriarch Filaret, the Head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, His Beatitude Patriarch Sviatoslav (Shevchuk), the Apostolic Nuncio in Ukraine, Archbishop Claudio Gugerotti, President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko, Prime Minister of Ukraine Arseniy Yatseniuk, Chairperson of the Parliament of Ukraine Volodmyr Groysman, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Minister of Finance and Minister of Information Policy, Head of the Security Service of Ukraine, First Deputy Chairman and members of the Parliament of Ukraine and state high-ranking government officials, as well as Ambassadors and diplomats of the G7 countries.

Particular attention was devoted to joint actions by the UWC, Ukrainian Churches and the governing authorities of Ukraine in furthering with the international community current Ukrainian issues related to the defence of the independence and territorial integrity of Ukraine from Russian aggression, securing peace in Eastern Ukraine and the de-occupation of Crimea, the release by Russia of Ukrainian political prisoners, including Nadiya Savchenko, and the strengthening of targeted sanctions against the Russian Federation for non-compliance with the Minsk agreements. Also discussed was future cooperation on the dissemination of objective information about Ukraine and bolstering its image in the world, and counteracting Russian disinformation. Another issue was the provision of humanitarian aid to Ukraine to overcome the devastating consequences of Russian aggression.Emphasis was given to issues related to consolidating Ukraine’s Euro-integration course and the referendum in the Netherlands on 6 April 2016 on the EU-Ukraine Association Agreement.

The UWC President appealed to the governing authorities of Ukraine to resolve the current political crisis and, thereby, guarantee stability in Ukraine.

During a meeting with the Apostolic Nuncio in Ukraine, Archbishop Claudio Gugerotti,the UWC President conveyed the disappointment of the Ukrainian diaspora regarding the Joint Declaration by Pope Francis and Patriarch Kirill of the Russian Orthodox Church Moscow Patriarchate.

In a meeting with the Head of the Ukrainian GreekCatholic Church, His Beatitude Patriarch Sviatoslav (Shevchuk), Eugene Czolij assured that the UWC supports the Patriarch and the Permanent Synod of the Ukrainian GreekCatholic Church in their appeal to the Holy Father and to the world to help stop the war and humanitarian crisis caused by the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

During a meeting with Ambassadors and diplomats of the G7 countries, hosted by the Ambassador of Canada to Ukraine Roman Waschuk, the UWC President appealed for greater support for Ukraine by the international community.

The UWC delegation, headed by UWC President Eugene Czolij, included UWC Secretary General and President of the Australian Federation of Ukrainian Organisations Stefan Romaniw, UWC Vice President and President of the Ukrainian Canadian Congress Paul Grod, UWC Vice President Olena Koszarny, UWC Treasurer Zenon Potichny and Director of the UWC Mission to Ukraine Serhiy Kasyanchuk.

“The global Ukrainian community led by the Ukrainian World Congress will continue to actively support Ukraine in the fight to maintain its independence and territorial integrity, and in its consolidation as a democratic, reformed and European state,” stated UWC President Eugene Czolij.

To view a video of the meeting with President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko click HERE .

Interviews with UWC President Eugene Czolij can be viewed via these links:

–       https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fBIoNukrnTY – Video interview for Espresso TV and

–       http://www.radiosvoboda.org/content/article/27621543.html – Interview for Radio Liberty.

 

List of individuals with whom the UWC President met:

1. Head of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church Kyiv Patriarchate His Holiness Patriarch Filaret
2. Head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church His Beatitude Patriarch Sviatoslav (Shevchuk)
3. Apostolic Nuncio in Ukraine, His Excellency Archbishop Claudio Gugerotti
4. President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko
5. Prime Minister of Ukraine Arseniy Yatseniuk
6. Chairperson of the Parliament of Ukraine Volodymyr Groysman
7. Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Pavlo Klimkin
8. Minister of Finance of Ukraine Natalie Jaresko
9. Minister of Information Policyof Ukraine Yuri Stets
10. Head of the Security Service of Ukraine Vasyl Hrytsak
11. First Deputy Chairperson of the Parliament of Ukraine Andriy Parubiy
12. Deputy Chairperson of the Parliament of Ukraine Oksana Syroid
13. Deputy Head of the Administration of the President of Ukraine Kostyantyn Yelisieiev
14. Representative of the President of Ukraine in the Parliament of Ukraine Stepan Kubiv
15. Ambassador-at-large, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Dmytro Kuleba
16. Head of the Parliamentary Faction of the Political Party “Samopomich” Oleh Berezyuk
17. Chair of the Parliament of Ukraine Sub-Committee on the Military-Industrial Complex and Military‑Technical Cooperation, Head of the Permanent delegation to the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly Artur Gerasimov
18. Chair of the Parliament of Ukraine Sub-Committee on State Information System Security and Defence, member of the Cross-Party Group “EuroOptimists” Iryna Friz
19. Ambassador of Japan to Ukraine Shikegi Sumi (Japan is the current Chair of the G7)
20. Ambassador of Canada to Ukraine Roman Waschuk
21. Ambassador of Australia to Ukraine Doug Trappett
22. President of the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy Dr. Andriy Meleshevych.

 

In the photo: UWC President E. Czolij and Chairperson of the Parliament of Ukraine Volodymyr Groysman

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