14 June 2019, 15:55
It was the second time within the framework of the International Forum of Central and Eastern Europe "Via Carpathia" that the Conference “Circle of Vinzenz: Ukraine at the break” opened, participants of which would discuss the most important issues of the present time: European cooperation and good-neighborliness, the Russian aggression against Ukraine, development of the Carpathian region together with environmental problems - with Ukraine to be in focus of the discussion.
Opening the conference, the Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Andriy Parubiy noted that the purpose of the conference is to work out a common strategy for developing the mountainous region.
"We will talk about the development of tourism in the Carpathians, preservation of the cultural heritage, which all are components of a sustainable development, the revival of economic processes there. About how to make this land economically successful, how to bring prosperity here,” said the speaker of parliament. - To build the common strategy, it is important to unite the countries which the Carpathians span over geographically. Investments need to be made for infrastructure development and road construction".
He noted that the conference would discuss "philosophical and ideological choices". "We are living in the most challenging times," said Andriy Parubiy. - The very issue of European integration of Ukraine is being questioned now. When we stood on Maidan… next to our state… blue-and-yellow flag, there was also the flag of the European Union. Europe is our home. But next to us there is a huge aggressor country, which is doing its best to stop our movement to Europe.
Nowadays, there are a number of political parties that are going to the polls in order to destroy achievements of the past five years – our European course, the language, the church, and the nationwide de-communization crusade. Our task is now to protect and develop these values. I want to say to the fifth column - everyone who wants to call into question these achievements will be termed a foe. Today, we are all responsible for the mission that we have to carry out".
The convener of the event, the head of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Culture and Spirituality Mykola Kniazhytskyi noted that "our goal is to revive the glorious traditions of the Hutsul region and to create a modern platform for the promotion of culture and the exchange of ideas with the intellectuals on the most relevant socio-political themes. It was at the very time of Hutsulshchyna that Mykhailo Hrushevskyi, Ivan Franko, Lesia Ukrainka arrived and talked about what Ukraine would be like".
At the “Circle of Vinzenz: Ukraine at the break” forum participants talked about the numerous challenges and threats our country and Europe faced, about after-elections Ukraine, about the attempts of the aggressive neighbour to "zero out the Ukrainian patriotic political elite" and how not to "let the self-defeating virus in our lives".
After all, as the Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Andriy Parubiy observed before, the body of war is going not on the frontline - "it is a struggle for minds and hearts of people".