15 June 2010, 15:11
Mykola Tomenko: Say Nothing but Good of the Actions of Russian Politicians?
"The attitude of the Russian political elite towards Ukraine has significantly changed after the presidential election campaign. They used to criticize the authorities for their failure to establish friendship between the fraternal nations, while at present they doubt the fundamentals of existence of the Ukrainian State", Mykola Tomenko, Deputy Chairman of The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, stated in the talk with the UNIAN news agency, commenting upon the interview of Mikhail Zurabov, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Russian Federation to Ukraine, to Izvestia newspaper. As the official web site of the newspaper informs, Mr Zurabov stated: "I am convinced that we are not merely fraternal nations, but a single nation. A single nation despite the peculiarities and specificities."
Mykola Tomenko reminded of the recent calls of the Russian politicians to turn Ukraine into the federal State, which violates the Constitutional provisions of Chapter 1 of the Fundamental Law of Ukraine. The declared demand to build a State of two languages and two cultures is also non-constitutional. "However, the latest declaration of the Russian Ambassador that Ukrainians and Russians are a single nation is not just a non-constitutional statement, but a contempt for the national dignity of the Ukrainian people to say the least of it", he stated.
M.Tomenko believes that after the diplomat made such a statement, the Ukrainian State shall at least invite him to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for a talk. "However, as far as I understand, the principle of the acting authorities is as follows: say nothing but good of the actions of Russian politicians", the Deputy Chairman of The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine summed up.
Mykola Tomenko is convinced that if this statement is neglected, further development of this theory will follow. "Another similar statement will be made, because if Ukrainians and Russians are a single nation, then they do not need two states, one will suffice. This is actually a fundamental principle of the Soviet Union with a single Soviet nation", the Deputy Chairman of The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine stressed.