25 June 2012, 18:34
The Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Volodymyr Lytvyn visited Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church and the Ukrainian Cultural Center of Tallinn in the framework of the official visit to the Republic of Estonia.
During the meeting with the Ukrainian community V.Lytvyn stressed the necessity of increased attention on the part of the state to the representatives of Ukraine living abroad. He says it is necessary to significantly increase overall financial support of the Ukrainian diaspora abroad.
"It is a powerful force, a huge strategic resource, which, unfortunately, is not included in the lobbying of the interests of Ukraine abroad," said the Head of the Parliament. He reminded that the state is obliged to take care of its fellow citizens living abroad. He believes that it would promote settling a number of bilateral issues and multilateral relations.
Discussing the "language" issue, V.Lytvyn stressed that it is necessary "to find civilized legal decision which would raise the status of the country, promote the establishment of the dialogue inside the country and help find the ways of mutual understanding".
The Head of the Parliament spoke about the beginning of the work of the Constitutional Assembly, stressing the necessity to discuss the amendments to the Constitution in a nationwide dialogue, find the ways to "reload" the state, overcome mutual distrust and "mutual conquering".
Ethnic Ukrainians in Estonia are the third largest population group after Russians and Estonians. According to the data provided by the Estonian Part, almost 28 thousand immigrants from Ukraine live in Estonia and more than four thousand people have Ukrainian citizenship.
The representatives of the Ukrainian diaspora are combined into two independent structures the Ukrainian Congress of Estonia and the Association of Ukrainian organizations in Estonia which include 20 Ukrainian national and cultural societies.
Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church appeared in the Old Town in the middle of 90-ies, though Ukrainian parish exists in Tallinn from the 17th century. The Church is situated on the territory of the Ukrainian Cultural Center which is a non-confession organization open to people of all denominations. There is the Museum of religious art and crafts, Ukrainian Cultural and Spiritual Center, School of Monastic Arts and Crafts, Folk Museum of Ukrainian Art are situated on the territory of the Ukrainian Cultural Center.