Ukrainians in Washington celebrate anniversary of Ukraine's sovereignty (07/23/00)

Ukrainians in Washington celebrate anniversary of Ukraine's sovereignty

by Yaro Bihun
Special to The Ukrainian Weekly

WASHINGTON - A small group of Ukrainian Americans and Ukrainian diplomats and their families braved a summer cloudburst in the nation's capital to mark the 10th anniversary of the proclamation of Ukraine's sovereignty on July 16.

Addressing the two dozen people huddled under umbrellas in front of the Taras Shevchenko monument that Sunday afternoon, Minister-Counselor Oleksii Berezhnyi of the Ukrainian Embassy, used the occasion to underscore the positive developments in Ukraine since the then-Soviet Ukrainian parliament proclaimed the primacy of Ukrainian law on its territory.

"As they say in this country, when one views a partially filled glass of water, one can say that it is half empty or half full," Mr. Berezhnyi said. "And so it is with us. Let us focus on what has been achieved."

"In Ukraine's first years of independence there was great euphoria and expectations. Many people expected that much more would be achieved and much more quickly than it actually happened," he said.

And much has been achieved, he added: Ukraine is independent and recognized worldwide; it is a member of more than a hundred international organizations; it has a Constitution and a stable national currency; President Leonid Kuchma has stayed the reformist course and now has a Verkhovna Rada with which he can work.

Mr. Berezhnyi also pointed out that what Ukraine did in nuclear disarmament was unprecedented, and added: "We were fortunate that in this we had the support of our strategic partner, the United States."

"We are also happy to note that during these 10 years we have marked Ukraine's anniversaries - large and small - with the Ukrainian American community," he said.

Speaking on behalf of that community, Ukrainian American Coordinating Council President Ihor Gawdiak said the proclamation of Ukraine's sovereignty was, in a way, an even more momentous event for the Ukrainian diaspora than the subsequent step of proclaiming Ukraine's independence.

"For us it was something extraordinary and completely unexpected - to see our prayers, hopes and dreams realized so quickly," he said. "It was a sure sign that Ukraine was on the road to independence."

A senior research analyst at the Library of Congress, Mr. Gawdiak noted that one of the original copies of Ukraine's Declaration on State Sovereignty, signed by the deputies voting for it, is part of the library's collection of important world documents.

The commemoration ceremony, which lasted less than 10 minutes, began with the placing of flowers at the foot of the Shevchenko monument by representatives of the Ukrainian Embassy, Minister-Counselor Berezhnyi, Cultural Attaché Mykola Kravchenko and Military Attaché Col. Andrii Taran.

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