Yushchenko calls on Ukrainians to unite around national interests and Ukrainian nationhood

UKRINFORM's photo

President Viktor Yushchenko has called on Ukrainian citizens to unite around national interests and Ukrainian nationhood. He was speaking at a festive gathering in Kyiv on Thursday, on the occasion of the Ukrainian Unification Day.

The head of state said that the Ukrainians had been always notable for their aspiration for unity. "Unfortunately, this unity cannot be so often observed among politicians, but I am confident that unity has always existed and will always exist among the Ukrainian people," Yushchenko said.

"Ukraine has currently faced new, dangerous threats, with their aggressive nature well known to us. I am calling on the Ukrainian society to unite around national interests and Ukrainian nationhood," he said. "Today, the state especially needs the support of all citizens and the unity of the entire society. We are strong if united," Yushchenko said.

"The Ukrainians have always respected other nations and other countries. We are not searching enemies. We are seeking to extend the number of our partners, but with each of them, we should talk only in respect to harmony in our relations, based on national interests," he said.

"As a European nation that also creates its European history and culture, we see our future in one democratic Europe and in one Euro-Atlantic security system," the president said.

The head of state today opened the museum of Ukrainian revolution on the occasion of the Ukrainian Unification Day. The museum is based at the current Teacher's House, the former building of the Central Rada (the higher legislative body in the Ukrainian People's Republic in 1917-1918). Yushchenko wants this building to be granted the national status, renamed in the Central Rada and turned into a modern museum complex involved in studying and spreading the knowledge about Ukrainian liberation movements.

UKRINFORM