CONGRATULATIONS BY PRESIDENT ON OCCASION OF NATIONAL UNITY DAY
Dear compatriots!
The historical Act of unity, announced on 22, January, 1919, was a symbolic document. It underlined the geographical and mental outlines of unitary Ukraine. During tens of years the idea, set forth in the Act, was gradually implemented. It finally captured the brains almost of all and any citizens of Ukraine and became the most important value in all its regions.
Paraphrasing the words, told in 1919, one of political leaders at that time Lev Bachynskyy: we became the nation not only with the “same blood” and with the “same heart” but with the same thought. Yet Mykhaylo Grushevskyy, speaking about peculiarities, “made on our national body by foreign influences and external circumstances”, appealed not to “exaggerate the differences and to develop the feeling of unity, solidarity, propinquity. We are doing in such a way.
During last year tens thousands of warriors, hundreds thousands volunteers, millions and millions of citizens stood up to defend the unity and territorial integrity of Ukraine. National Unity Days has never been such great, suffered and deserved holiday as today.
Our enemy has roughly missed figure. It wanted to destroy us but made us strong as never. Ukrainian political nation was finally established in all territories – western, eastern, northern, southern and central. It united the representatives of different ethnic groups and different native speakers. And our Russian speaking compatriots demonstrated that they love Ukraine in Russian language not less than Ukrainian speaking compatriots in Ukrainian language. Now almost 100% of citizens are for the unitary country. And the impressing majority of Ukrainian sees it namely as unitary and not federative.
For me as the President the unity of the country and nation is the same value as for all my compatriots. I have my own views on history, language and church. And despite the fact that such ideas are today shared already by persuading majority of co-citizens, I shall take into consideration the feelings of minority. That’s why we perform much weighed humanitarian policy.
Of course, there are principal things, which cannot be a subject of any compromise. Firstly, Ukraine will not be federative but will remain unitary state! Secondly, European choice is not subject to discussion. Thirdly, Ukrainian will be the only state language!
And no one and never will infringe the right of people to speak Russian and other languages, freely use them at home, in the street, at work. The additional guaranty for such right will become the decentralization, which will concern the humanitarian policy.
No one and never will be able to harm our unity. Having the national unity in mind, with the unitary Ukraine in the heart we will all always be the single Ukrainian political nation, in which composition all ethical groups will feel equally comfortable.
My congratulations to you on National Unity Day, my dear friends!
