Romanian authorities urge Ukraine to re-examine its Education Law

Romanian authorities urge Ukraine to re-examine its Education Law, voted four days ago by the Kiev Parliament, a law that drastically limits education for national minorities in their Mother Tongue.

At a meeting with the Ukrainian ambassador to Bucharest, Oleksandr Bankov, the Romanian Minister for Romanians everywhere, Andreea Păstarnac, urged the neighboring country to respect the assumed commitment allowing Romanians to learn their native language. After a telephone conversation with his counterpart in Kiev, Pavlo Klimkin, the Romanian Foreign Minister Teodor Meleșcanu said that the situation could be solved only by a meeting of the Education Ministers from the two states.

Teodor Meleșcanu: We hope to find a solution that will ensure the continuation of teaching in Romanian in the Ukrainian educational process. Next week, Victor Micula - Secretary of State in the Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs - will be in Kiev, to specifically discuss issues related to the situation of minorities in the two countries and I am convinced he will try to clarify certain aspects. But I think the best solution is to have a direct and very applied discussion about the curricula, the subjects that will be taught in one language or another, so as to make sure that citizens who speak Romanian, regardless of whether they come from The Republic of Moldova or Romania, will still have the possibility to continue their studies in their native language.

On behalf of the Opposition, the President of the National Liberal Party, Ludovic Orban, urged the Government to launch a diplomatic offensive to ensure the right of Romanians in Ukraine to study in their Mother Tongue.

Ludovic Orban: The Government has the obligation to carry out all diplomatic approaches, both to Ukraine and to our partners, do not forget that Ukraine is in the process of joining the European Union. We do not ask Ukraine for privileges for Romanian citizens, we only ask for the same treatment that we offer as a state to Romanian citizens of Ukrainian nationality, living in Romania.

According to the latest census in 2001, conducted in Ukraine, 258,000 people declared themselves Moldovans and 150,000 people declared themselves Romanian. Scattered by history, they live in three regions of Ukraine: Chernivtsi, Transcarpathia and Odessa. Together they would be the third ethnic group in Ukraine.

Source:RRA.Translated by Miruna Matei