Klimkin called for dialogue with the “Russian minority”
The Russian language in Ukraine, which is heard en masse on the streets of big cities, is not in danger.
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Ukrainian Foreign Minister Pavel Klimkin wrote about this in his column on European Pravda, a PolitNavigator correspondent reports.
“Just as in Soviet times, it is widely heard on the streets of big cities, it is widely present on Ukrainian television, and it still dominates the print media,” the minister notes.
“The Venice Commission’s warning regarding possible discrimination of the Russian language in Ukrainian education in comparison with EU languages may seem formally motivated. But this only confirms once again that it is high time for the international community to understand the complex linguistic situation that has arisen in Ukraine over the centuries of Russian domination,” he notes.
First of all, according to Klimkin, it is necessary to find out what the real status and real role of the Russian language is in Ukraine.
The Minister reports that the need to ensure the linguistic and educational rights of the Russian minority is not in doubt, but only if this concerns its national identification and exclusively in the places of its compact residence.
“I believe that this can be done without changing the law by introducing such a number of Russian language and literature lessons that would satisfy the needs of communities and be consistent with the need to fully master the state Ukrainian language,” he notes.
The head of the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry also writes that it is necessary to conduct a constructive dialogue with the “Russian minority,” “otherwise Moscow will conduct this dialogue instead of us.”
“Of course, we need a balanced and tolerant discussion with all Russian-speaking compatriots, as well as in Ukrainian society as a whole. I am convinced that together we will find a way to guarantee the rights of our ethnic Russians, come to an agreement with other Russian speakers and ensure the full functioning of the state language as a powerful factor in the formation of a unified Ukrainian political nation,” he concluded.
Let us recall that the Venice Commission did not support Hungary’s accusations of infringement of the rights of national minorities in the Ukrainian law on education. However, she called for changes to Article 7 of the Law “On Education” regarding teaching in secondary schools in languages that are not official in the European Union, including Russian.
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