Ukraine's ambassador meets with execs of Ukrainian American Coordinating Council (03/29/98)

Ukraine's ambassador meets with execs
of Ukrainian American Coordinating Council

by Ihor and Natalka Gawdiak
UACC Washington Office

NEWARK, N.J. - Ukraine's Ambassador Yuri Shcherbak, accompanied by his wife, Maria, and Cultural Attaché Vasyl Zorya, met with members of the Executive Committee of the Ukrainian American Coordinating Council here on February 21. The meeting was opened by UACC President Ulana Diachuk, who thanked the ambassador for his initiative in convening this second meeting with the UACC Executive Committee.

The ambassador described the work being done by the Embassy of Ukraine, brought his audience up to date on recent developments in Ukraine, and discussed matters of mutual concern. In a warm and collegial atmosphere, participants at the luncheon meeting had the opportunity to discuss a number of pressing issues openly and frankly.

In his opening remarks Ambassador Shcherbak underscored the importance of close cooperation between the Embassy and the Ukrainian American community. At the same time, he emphasized that there is a vast difference between the mission and the work of the Embassy of Ukraine and the goals and activities of the Ukrainian diaspora on behalf of Ukraine.

Ambassador Shcherbak noted that the Embassy, being an official entity of the Ukrainian government, has an extremely busy schedule, preparing for and attending high-level meetings several times a week with officials at the U.S. State Department, the U.S. Congress, the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank and with various American enterprises in the private sector. When official delegations come from Ukraine, the intensity of this schedule increases and, he pointed out, these activities require the full effort and dedication of the rather small Embassy staff and cannot be carried out by individuals or organizations from the diaspora.

Nevertheless, Ambassador Shcherbak stated that "the Embassy's door is open" to all groups from the Ukrainian American diaspora interested in using the Embassy as a setting for conferences, symposia or seminars that would improve the relationship and increase understanding between Ukraine and the U.S. He cited as an example of such activity the recent successful meeting of close to 100 tourist agencies that was held at the Embassy to focus on Ukraine's nascent tourist industry.

The ambassador invited members of the various organizations within the UACC, whose representatives were present at the meeting, to promote networking between professionals in the U.S. and their counterparts in Ukraine. The ambassador stated that he had conveyed the same views to the representatives of the Ukrainian Congress Committee of America at his recent meeting with them in Washington.

Ambassador Shcherbak expressed his appreciation toward the Ukrainian American community for the work it has done on behalf of Ukraine and for the help it has extended to the Embassy in Washington. He expressed particular gratitude to the Ukrainian National Association and the Ukrainian Fraternal Association for their continuous assistance to the Embassy and for providing the children of the Embassy staff happy and healthy vacations in summer camps at Soyuzivka and Verkhovyna, as well as to the Foundation in Support of Diplomatic Missions of Ukraine for their help.

The ambassador also emphasized that he and the government of Ukraine understand and appreciate the work that the Ukrainian American community carries out on behalf of Ukraine. He called on the Ukrainian diaspora to continue to inform Congress and the American public at large of the critical importance of Ukraine's independence and territorial integrity, its efforts to be integrated into the European community and its commitment to maintaining a strategic partnership with the United States.

Ambassador Shcherbak congratulated the Ukrainian National Association on its 104th anniversary (the UNA was founded on February 22, 1894) and stated that he is very much looking forward to attending the Ukrainian National Association's convention in May of this year, as well as the Ukrainian Fraternal Association's convention in June. He expressed hope that the delegates at both conventions will carefully consider the future direction of the Ukrainian American community and provide guidelines and goals for that community as it moves into the 21st century. He also said he hopes that both conventions will pay particular attention to the question of how to maintain the interest of the younger generation of Ukrainian Americans in dedicating themselves to Ukrainian American issues.

Ambassador Shcherbak also delivered an overview of the latest political, economic and social developments in Ukraine. The ambassador observed that, just like the seventh anniversary of a marriage, the seventh anniversary of independence can be a critical period in the life of a new state. Ukraine is presently going through a critical phase that all nations periodically experience. He explained that the forthcoming parliamentary elections, to be followed next year by presidential elections, will have a profound influence on Ukraine's future. He then gave a detailed analysis of the political groupings and parties on the eve of the election, enumerating their strengths and weaknesses, and offering his prognosis of what he expects the results of the election could be.

The ambassador then outlined the most important elements of President Kuchma's economic and political programs and the government's successes and failures in both fields. Economic growth and privatization, crime and corruption, regional antagonisms and religious intolerance, the position of the Russian Duma on ratification of the Ukrainian-Russian treaty, and the continuous conflict between the executive branch of the government and the Verkhovna Rada over most of these issues are the major difficulties facing Ukraine today.

On the positive side, the ambassador listed the close relationship and strategic partnership with the United States, the growing normalization in Russian-Ukrainian relations, the treaties of friendship signed with Poland and Romania, Ukraine's special relationship with NATO and the continuous integration of Ukraine into the European community of nations.

Ukraine's ability to steadily decrease the inflation rate and to keep the hryvnia stable, the rise in metallurgical production, and the development of banking structures and other financial institutions are some of the successes in the economic area listed by the ambassador.

Following his remarks, Ambassador Shcherbak answered a number of questions and engaged in a frank and open discussion with members of the UACC Executive Committee present at the luncheon. At the end of the luncheon, UACC President Diachuk thanked the ambassador for his extensive and insightful presentation and expressed the hope that the tradition of such meetings would continue. Ambassador Shcherbak heartily endorsed the idea.