28 July 2014, 14:09
Greetings of the Chairperson of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Oleksandr Turchynov on the occasion of Baptism of Kyivan Rus.
Dear compatriots!
Let me congratulate you on the occasion of a special holiday – the Day of Baptism of Rus-Ukraine!
Every country, every people and even nation have their crucial moments. Precisely such was the decision, Volodymyr took more than one thousand years ago, to baptize Kyiv Rus. This decision became a movement and development vector for centuries and a catalyst of further changes and achievements.
Not that long ago we stood at the parting of ways. We tried to decide which mode of behavior to choose: Asian or European with its respect for the law and personality taken as a basis of a democratic state.
Ukrainian people chose the European way of development. I hope that this choice will be the same right as the choice Volodymyr made, that will provide an opportunity to lay the common European foundation and will become a century-long part of history.
May God bless our country!
Believing in Ukraine, Oleksandr Turchynov.