By KYIV. Nov 29 (Interfax-Ukraine) – Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration Olha Stefanishyna states that not a single provision of the bill on the rights of national minorities, taking into account the recommendations of the Venice Commission, includes expansion of opportunities for the Russian language.
“The recommendations of the Venice Commission, like the positions of our partners, did not appear yesterday. For a year and a half, a team that truly strives for a European future for Ukraine has worked every day to develop solutions that will provide the necessary balance between strengthening the position of the state language and protecting the linguistic rights of national communities, according to international standards. More than 40 consultations with minorities, the same number with partners and internal discussions. Yesterday I spent 4 hours in a discussion with representatives of the public who are dealing with the issue of protecting the state language on each provision of the bill,” Stefanishyna said on Facebook, commenting public discussions of changes to legislation on the rights of national minorities, taking into account the recommendations of the Venice Commission.
According to the Deputy Prime Minister, statements regarding the impossibility of any changes demonstrate the unwillingness of some political forces to “move forward with the state.”
“Regarding the Russian language. The Russian language was, is and will always be a red line. This was clearly stated in all consultations with partners. There can be no changes in favor of the language of the aggressor state; there is no expansion of opportunities for the Russian language in any provision of the bill. This is exclusively about the rights of national communities, and so that there is no room for manipulation, we clearly indicate that we are talking about the languages of the EU countries, and also clearly state that the provisions of the bill do not apply to the language of the aggressor state,” Stefanishyna said.
