The Ukrainian Weekly 2013, No.9
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www.ukrweekly.com INSIDE: l Premiere of Virko Baley’s opera about the Holodomor – page 9 l Generation Uke: dancers and fashion, fathers and sons – page 11 l Community Chronicle: Winnipeg and Montreal – page 15 THEPublished U by theKRAINIAN Ukrainian National Association Inc., a fraternal W non-profit associationEEKLY Vol. LXXXI No. 9 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, MARCH 3, 2013 $1/$2 in Ukraine Obama announces intention EU gives Ukraine list of requirements to nominate Geoffrey R. Pyatt for Association Agreement to be signed as new ambassador to Ukraine by Zenon Zawada Special to The Ukrainian Weekly WA S H I N G T O N – President Barack Obama KYIV – Ukrainian President Viktor on February 26 announced Yanukovych met on February 25 in his intention to nominate Brussels with European Union lead- Geoffrey R. Pyatt, a career ers, who gave him a list of 11 tasks Foreign Service officer that he needed to fulfill by early May if whose previous experience he intends to sign the EU-Ukraine was with Asia and Latin Association Agreement in November. America, to be the next Among the most challenging tasks ambassador to Ukraine. is arranging for the release of impris- The following biography oned opposition leaders, former was provided by the White Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko and House Press Service. White House Press Service former Internal Affairs Minister Yurii Geoffrey R. Pyatt is a Geoffrey R. Pyatt Lutsenko. Yet, even as regards the career senior Foreign Service officer whose 22-year other requirements, the Yanukovych State Department service has focused on Asia and administration is reluctant, if not Official website of Ukraine’s President Latin America. He is married to Mary Pyatt with two wholly opposed. President Viktor Yanukovych of Ukraine at the European Union-Ukraine children, William and Claire. “Though miracles can happen and Summit in Brussels on February 25 with Herman Van Rompuy (center), Mr. Pyatt became principal deputy assistant secre- Ukraine is predictably unpredictable, president of the European Council, and Jose Manuel Barroso, president of tary of the South and Central Asia Affairs Bureau in I will be very surprised if Ukraine is the European Commission. May 2010. Prior to that, from August 2007, he was dep- able to fulfill all the suggested tasks uty chief of mission at the U.S. Mission to the 100 percent in the short period of is found and effective progress is requirements, considering that it’s International Atomic Energy Agency and International time that it has,” Amanda Paul, policy made, the possibility exists for the unlikely the Yanukovych administra- Organizations in Vienna. analyst at the European Center in Association Agreement to be signed.” tion will fulfill them. Brussels, told the tyzhden.ua news It remains to be seen how strictly (Continued on page 17) site. “However, if enough political will the EU leadership will adhere to its (Continued on page 3) Holodomor Research and Education Consortium established at CIUS EDMONTON, Alberta – The Canadian HREC is organizing a scholarly confer- Institute of Ukrainian Studies, University of ence in Toronto on November 27-28 to Alberta on February 25 announced the mark the 80th anniversary of the establishment of the Holodomor Research Holodomor. and Education Consortium (HREC), made The education component (director possible by a generous gift of $1,062,000 Valentina Kuryliw) will prepare and dissemi- from the Temerty Family Foundation based nate authoritative and accessible in Toronto. Holodomor resources for students, educa- The mandate of HREC, which began its tors, schools, school boards, ministries and work in January, is to research, study, pub- other institutions and will engage in ongoing lish and disseminate information about the outreach activities to support the inclusion Famine-Genocide of 1932-1933 in Ukraine, of the Famine-Genocide in school curricula. known as the Holodomor, ensuring that the A Holodomor teaching kit will be pub- Ukrainian experience receives greater rec- lished this spring. Materials will be devel- ognition in society at large and that it is oped appropriate to specific grade levels represented in the teaching of history and and subjects, first in English and in genocide. Ukrainian and French in the future. HREC HREC will draw upon the capabilities of will serve as a repository for existing teach- CIUS units, in particular the Peter Jacyk ing materials, post materials on a user- Center for Ukrainian Historical Research friendly website, and reprint and distribute and the Ukrainian Language Education resources essential to its mandate. Center (ULEC). HREC will also engage a Holodomor Research and Education Consortium executive and staff members (from HREC will develop training modules range of educators, scholars and institu- left): Andrij Makuch, Bohdan Klid, Marta Baziuk, Valentyna Kuryliw and Frank Sysyn. aimed at history and social studies teach- tions in the West and Ukraine. ers and will work with teachers’ associa- Marta Baziuk serves as executive direc- tors) will promote and disseminate to Holodomor Sources, and an FAQ tions and school boards to ensure the tor at HREC’s Toronto office, housed at the research on the Holodomor, cooperating (Frequently Asked Questins) series for Holodomor is addressed at professional Ukrainian Canadian Research and with scholars, universities, think tanks, teachers, students and community use. A development days at the provincial and Documentation Center (UCRDC). organizations and libraries in the West and grants program will target under- board levels. A conference for educators is HREC has two main focuses: research Ukraine. researched aspects of the Holodomor, scheduled for May 10-12 in Toronto. and education. The research component It will produce scholarly articles, trans- including its commonalities with other (Dr. Bohdan Klid and Andrij Makuch, direc- lations of documents into English, a Guide genocides. (Continued on page 8) 2 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, MARCH 3, 2013 No. 9 ANALYSIS Russia trips up Ukraine’s OSCE EU: Kyiv must accomplish more European community has several points of view for further action in case Ukraine fails chairmanship in Transdnistria BRUSSELS – European Union President to achieve compliance with the criteria, Herman van Rompuy said at the end of the which the European Union has put forward European Union-Ukraine summit in Ambassador Sergei Gubarev, held talks with to sign the agreement. “Some say that it is by Vladimir Socor Brussels that there is a “historic opportuni- Mr. Shevchuk in Tiraspol, effectively pre- better to shelve the agreement and sign it Eurasia Daily Monitor ty” in the bloc’s relations with Kyiv. Mr. Van empting the Lviv 5+2 meeting. Mr. Gubarev after 2015, when, theoretically, the power in Rompuy, speaking alongside Commission Ukraine has declared the Transnistria declared that negotiations toward a political Ukraine could change. Others say that then [also referred to as Transdniester] conflict a settlement could start only after a process of President Jose Manuel Barroso and it would be necessary to draft another top priority issue of the Organization for building confidence through “economic Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych on Association Agreement with the other con- Security and Cooperation in Europe’s (OSCE) interaction” between Chisinau and Tiraspol. February 25, said it would be possible to tent,” he said. “So, today neither the Ukrainian chairmanship in 2013 (OSCE Mr. Gubarev also ruled out a meeting of sign an Association Agreement, including a Europeans nor the Ukrainian authorities press release, February 19). Nominally, the Messrs. Shevchuk with Filat in Lviv, unless Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area, understand what would happen if the OSCE has been in charge of handling this the meeting would produce agreements by November at the Eastern Partnership Association Agreement is not signed in conflict since 1993. Ukrainian diplomacy between Chisinau and Tiraspol on interna- Summit in Vilnius. Mr. Van Rompuy 2013,” the analyst emphasized. (Ukrinform) harbors no illusions about the conflict’s tional transportation issues in line with warned, however, that Kyiv must show quick or dramatic progress toward resolu- Tiraspol’s demands. Mr. Shevchuk and his “tangible progress” by May. He said talks European integration bills a priority tion. Kyiv seeks to start at least a discussion “foreign minister,” Nina Shtansky, followed focused on the three criteria that Kyiv must KYIV – The Verkhovna Rada will soon about a political resolution within the inter- up with statements in the same vein fulfill in order to sign the agreement: selec- consider on a priority basis bills on the national 5+2 negotiating format (Russia, (Interfax, Novyi Region, February 6–12). Mr. tive justice, elections and association agen- implementation of Ukraine’s commitments Ukraine, the OSCE, the United States, the Gubarev also reaffirmed that negotiations on da reforms. Mr. Barroso said the EU has to the Council of Europe and the Ukraine- European Union, Chisinau and Tiraspol). Transnistria’s political status cannot be held agreed on a 610 million euro macro-finan- European Union action plan, Verkhovna This format has existed since 2005, but unless Moldova revokes its organic law of cial assistance loan to support Ukraine’s Rada Chairman Volodymyr Rybak said dur- stopped functioning altogether from 2006 2005 about basic principles of such negotia- balance of payments over the coming ing his February 26 meeting with through 2011, and had been operating again tions (this law rules out Moldova’s “federal- years. Mr. Van Rompuy had noted that “this Ambassador of the United Kingdom to since 2012. When Ukraine invited the ization” and Russia’s military presence). summit takes place at an important Ukraine Simon Smith. National deputies, he European Union’s Border Assistance Mission Moscow and Tiraspol’s joint ownership of moment in our relations,” adding, “There is said, realize the importance of introducing these positions never came into question. (EUBAM) to curb Transnistria’s massive con- now a historic opportunity to make a European standards in Ukraine, which The only ambiguity arose from Mr.