Photo: Canadian Representatives to the Forum and Ukrainian World Congress
Front Row: Adriana Buyniak Willson, Bohdan Onyschuk, Evhen Czolij, Paul Grod, Olya Danyliak, Orysia Sushko,
Second Row: Taras Zalusky, Serhiy Kasyanchuk, Myron Spolsky, Ann Szyptur, Andrew Hladyshevsky, Anna Kisil, Borys Potapenko, Olena Kit, Kristin Glover, Gloria Leniuk
Ukrainian World Congress meets with President Viktor Yanukovych,
UCC President later observes court proceedings of Yulia Tymoshenko
Kyiv, Ukraine August 26, 2011 – A Ukrainian World Congress (UWC) delegation, lead by its President Eugene Czolij and accompanied by the leaders of the two largest Diaspora communities, Paul Grod, President Ukrainian Canadian Congress and Taras Dudko President Union of Ukrainians in Russia, today met with Ukraine’s President Viktor Yanukovych to discuss issues of importance to the 20 million Ukrainians living outside the borders of Ukraine.
More information about the meeting is available from the Ukrainian World Congress at http://www.ukrainianworldcongress.org/ or http://www.president.gov.ua/news/21027.html
Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Kyiv, Ukraine August 26, 2011 – The Presidents of the Ukrainian World Congress and Ukrainian Canadian Congress met with First Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, Ruslan Demchenko and the Director of Department of Diaspora Relations Mr. Volodymyr Yatsekivskiy, to consult on the establishment of a proposed state agency responsible for relations with Ukrainians abroad. - Read More…
Mssrs. Czolij and Grod recommended that this new state agency on Diaspora relations include a Ukrainian World Congress appointed advisory board, regular consultations with national Ukrainian umbrella organizations and annual reporting on funding.
General Prosecutor of Ukraine
Kyiv, Ukraine August 26, 2011 – Eugene Czolij and Paul Grod met with the Chief Prosecutor of Ukraine Andriy Kurys to express the Ukrainian World Congress’s (UWC) (and by extension UCC’s) criticism over the biased and anti-constitutional methods being employed in the prosecution of Yulia Tymoshenko and Yuri Lytsenko. - Read More…
Ms. Tymoshenko was jailed for demanding that the witness for the prosecution Prime Minister Mykola Azarov either speak Ukrainian or that the court provide a translator as Mr. Azarov insisted on providing his testimony in Russian.
At Yulia Tymonshenko’s trial UCC President Paul Grod expressed the UCC’s concerns to the media.
“We are calling for Yulia Tymoshenko and Yuriy Lutsenko to be released from custody immediately and given a transparent and fair trial that will comply with the Constitution of Ukraine and international democratic norms. We implore and urge the court and prosecutor’s office to ensure this,” stated Grod.
At the proceedings the Pechersk District Court, Paul Grod had the opportunity to speak with Yulia Tymoshenko and express his support on behalf of the Ukrainian Community in Canada. For the full story and interview of Paul Grod’s response to the trail visit: http://www.tymoshenko.ua/en/article/6ecxs4co
Meeting with Canada’s Ambassador to Ukraine
August 27, 2011 – Paul Grod and Canada’s Ambassador to Ukraine Daniel Caron met to discuss the current political and economic situation in Ukraine. - Read More…
Ambassador Caron returned to Kyiv for two additional months before the new Ambassador Troy Lulasknyk takes over the post. Among the issues discussed were immigration issues and the arrest and trial of former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko and former Minister of Internal Affairs Yuriy Lutsenko.
Ambassador Caron agreed to closely monitor the trials of political opposition leaders and to express Canada’s concern for human rights and democracy.
UCC Executive Director meets with senior Embassy staff
August 23, 2011. UCC Executive Director Taras Zalusky meet with Counsellors Larissa Blavatska and Greg Lemermeyer of the Canadian Embassy in Ukraine. - Read More…
Among the issues raised were: the monitoring of the trial of former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko, consular services, human and democratic rights in Ukraine, the Holodomor and ongoing cooperation between the UCC and the Canadian Embassy in Ukraine.
Meeting with the Holodomor Memorial Museum
August 22, 2011 – A Canadian delegation led by UCC President Paul Grod, including UCC Executive Director Taras Zalusky and League of Ukrainian Canadians Executive Director Borys Potapenko met with senior management of the State “Ukrainian Holodomor Memorial Museum”. - Read More…
The Canadian delegation met with Director Victor Didenko and associate director Lesya Onyshko. They visited the Holodomor Museum gallery and discussed issues with museum officials issues related to cooperation including with respect to the possible sharing content and cooperation on translation and dissemination of information the Ukrainian Canadian Congress and the Ukrainian World Congress. The Holodomor Museum officials were open to a possible memorandum of cooperation with the Canadian Museum of Human Rights to provide content, curatorial and other support for a permanent Holodomor gallery.
Opening of the World Forum of Ukrainian Youth
August 23, 2011 – UCC National President Paul Grod attended the Opening of the World Forum of Ukrainian Youth. - Read More…
Canada is being represented by Kristin Glover, MUNO, Adriana Sirskyj, PLAST, Olena Kit, SUSK and Natalia Witiuk, UNF. The conference runs from August 22-August 30, 2011, and will be addressing some of the issues that are of importance to Ukrainian Youth around the world such as: “The Future of Ukrainian Diaspora Youth”. There were presentations from various Ukrainian communities and Diaspora youth organizations from around the world. The Forum has included several training sessions on project management, youth initiatives, leadership development and much more. Also, performing at the Forum’s opening was Calgary’s Hopak Dance Ensemble from Canada.
