The Ukrainian National Association Forum
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INSIDE: • Renowned scholar Renata Holod is honored – page 11. • Growth and decline of Ukrainians in metropolitan areas – page 12. • STALKER computer game series made in Ukraine – page 17. HEPublished by theKRA Ukrainian NationalIN AssociationIAN Inc., a fraternal non-profit associationEEKLY Vol. LXXVIIT UNo.50 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, DECEMBER W 13, 2009 $1/$2 in Ukraine At Ukraine-EU summit: U.S. and Ukraine inaugurate scant evidence of progress Strategic Partnership Commission by Zenon Zawada Secretariat. Foreign Affairs Minister Poroshenko visits Washington Kyiv Press Bureau President Yushchenko made the claim most recently during an October 27 cam- KYIV – Ukrainian government leaders paign speech when registering his presiden- didn’t fulfill President Viktor Yushchenko’s tial candidacy at the Central Election repeated assurances that a long-awaited Commission. Foreign Affairs Ministry offi- Association Agreement would be signed at cials distanced themselves from the assur- the 13th Ukraine-European Union Summit ances throughout, stressing that they were held on December 4 at the Presidential striving for a quality agreement. “There are no political parameters on relations between the EU and Ukraine, no visa regime and no free-trade zone,” said Dr. Political posturing Oleh Soskin, director of the Institute of Society Transformation. “There are no results and it’s not clear when there will be.” stalls Ukraine’s Dismissing such critics, Foreign Affairs Minister Petro Poroshenko said the Yaro Bihun vaccination program Ukrainian government made significant Ukrainian Foreign Affairs Minister Petro Poroshenko and U.S. Secretary of State progress in deepening a free-trade zone, Hillary Rodham Clinton share their thoughts about the development of bilateral by Zenon Zawada negotiating free visas and improving coop- relations between their countries during a news conference following their Kyiv Press Bureau eration in law enforcement. December 9 meeting at the State Department. The summit was attended by Council of KYIV – Political gridlock and election Europe Chair Fredrik Reinfeldt and by Yaro Bihun Secretary of State Hillary Rodham posturing have delayed government plans European Commission Chair Jose Manuel Special to The Ukrainian Weekly Clinton underscored that commitment dur- to launch mass vaccinations in prepara- Barroso, who announced that he expects the ing her talks on December 9 at the State tion for an expected second wave of influ- long-anticipated Association Agreement WASHINGTON — The United States is Department with Ukrainian Foreign Affairs enza and acute respiratory illnesses. between the two governments will be final- committed to the development of a demo- Minister Petro Poroshenko, whose visit here President Viktor Yushchenko criticized cratic, strong and independent Ukraine with- coincided with the inaugural session of the the Cabinet of Ministers led by Prime (Continued on page 9) in the European community. U.S.-Ukraine Strategic Partnership Minister Yulia Tymoshenko on December Commission. 9 for failing to approve an official vacci- “The United States is committed to sup- nation policy, as requested by the World porting Ukraine as it continues on the path Health Organization (WHO) during meet- Events of November 2004: to democracy and prosperity,” Secretary ings with top officials on November 24. Clinton told a news conference following Parliament on November 3 approved their meeting. “We applaud the growth of a an allotment of 1 billion hrv ($125 mil- Rebellion, rising or revolution? free press and a vibrant political culture in lion U.S.) in order to buy between 7 mil- by Marko Tarnawsky the United States. The Ukrainian diaspo- lion and 8 million doses of vaccines. ra’s support for Ukrainian studies pro- Ukraine. We support Ukraine’s further inte- President Yushchenko vetoed the law NEW YORK – Five years have passed grams, embodied in the Ukrainian Studies gration with NATO and the European two weeks later, arguing he’s not against since those tumultuous days on Kyiv’s Fund (which provides funding for the pro- Union.” the financing but how it would have been Independence Square. Enough time for gram at Columbia), bears mention, as it “A strong and independent Ukraine is achieved – by printing more money. memories to fade. As it turns out, howev- provides for a continued growth of schol- good for the region and good for the world,” Meanwhile, the WHO is ready to offer er, there is still a significant amount of arship about Ukraine. she stressed. Ukraine 5 million doses of vaccines (of interest in these storied events. The conference’s first panel focused on Foreign Affairs Minister Poroshenko an estimated 12.3 million that are need- The Ukrainian Studies Program at the the events that took place in Ukraine dur- expressed his government’s appreciation for ed), but under certain controversial condi- Harriman Institute, Columbia University, ing the 2004 presidential elections and Washington’s declared assurance to security tions that may lead to loss of electoral marked the fifth anniversary of the Orange their role in shaping the future of a demo- and other support for Ukraine and the bilat- support should the Tymoshenko govern- Revolution with an all-day conference cratic system of government. The modera- eral dialogue that has been established ment approve the plan. that focused on the “colored revolutions” tor, Alexander Motyl, professor of politi- toward that end. The U.S.-Ukraine Strategic As part of the deal, the government and their impact on the development of cal science at Rutgers University, intro- Partnership Commission was established in must protect the vaccine manufacturers, democratic systems of government in duced the principal speakers: Valerii July, during Vice-President Joe Biden’s visit among them likely to be GlaxoSmithKline, Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Kuchynsky, a former ambassador to the to Kyiv. from any lawsuits should their products Union. United Nations from Ukraine and current- “We have a long list of problems we cause side effects or deaths. Furthermore, The conference consisted of four pan- ly a professor of international and public should deal with together,” he said, includ- the vaccines must be distributed without els, each of which covered an aspect of affairs at Columbia; Keith Darden, profes- ing the return of the International Monetary any additional testing or registration in the colored revolutions, their impact on sor of political science at Yale University; Fund mission to Ukraine, which he charac- Ukraine. the politics and development of the coun- and Joshua Tucker, professor of political terized as being “crucially important” for his Vaccinations have become a sensitive tries in which they occurred, and the pos- science at New York University. country. subject among Ukrainians after well-pub- sibility that similar events could occur Ambassador Kuchynsky began the pre- This was Mr. Poroshenko’s first visit to licized reports of several vaccine-related elsewhere. sentation by returning the audience to Washington since his appointment as for- deaths, particularly the case of 17-year- The presence of a significant number those uplifting and hopeful days when, eign affairs minister in October. His two- old Anton Tyschenko in Donetsk Oblast of well-known scholars at the conference five years ago, thousands of Ukrainians day, December 9-10, schedule here included in May 2008. were ample proof that Ukrainians aren’t gathered in Kyiv’s Independence Square meetings with administration officials, That same year, the Ukrainian govern- alone in following politics in Ukraine and (Maidan Nezalezhnosty) to demand new members of Congress, The Carnegie ment accepted measles and rubella vac- that the political evolution in this impor- elections in response to widespread Endowment for International Peace, repre- cines in the form of WHO humanitarian tant Eastern European country attracts sentatives of Ukrainian American organiza- attention at the highest academic levels in (Continued on page 21) (Continued on page 23) (Continued on page 23) 2 THE UKRAINIAN WEEKLY SUNDAY, DECEMBER 13, 2009 No. 50 ANALYSIS NEWSBRIEFS Islamic terrorist threat in Crimea U.S. envoy presents credentials August President Yushchenko endorsed the by Taras Kuzio ing in Crimea have declared that Mr. Annual National Program 2009 (ANP) on KYIV – The new U.S. ambassador to Dzhemilev is not a true believer and, Ukraine’s preparation for NATO member- Eurasia Daily Monitor Ukraine, John Tefft, has presented his let- therefore, a potential target. Mr. ship. The president ordered the Cabinet to ters of credence to Ukrainian Foreign The head of the Crimean Internal Dzhemilev accused Russian military submit a draft ANP for 2010 by December Affairs Minister Petro Poroshenko, it was Affairs Ministry, Gennadii Moskal, has intelligence (GRU) of being behind 1. (Ukrinform) reported on December 3. The minister drafted new legislation to ban extremist planned assassination attempts, part of a wished the ambassador fruitful work in his groups in Ukraine (Ukrayinska Pravda, wider plan to promote instability in Poroshenko: Ukraine is a reliable partner new post. Ambassador Tefft has been a October 27). Mr. Moskal is also a nation- Crimea. Mr. Moskal has publicly stated career foreign service officer for 37 years. KYIV – After the presidential elections, al deputy from the Our Ukraine-People’s his disagreement that Russia is behind He served as U.S. ambassador to the Ukraine will remain a reliable and consis-