FROM THE UNA PRESIDENT

Independent Ukraine's 11th anniversary

We mark the 11th anniversary of Ukraine's independence with prayer and hope. For many centuries we nurtured the inextinguishable hope that someday Ukraine would rise from its knees and our homeland would no longer be subject to the political and economic subjugation of Moscow, and repressions and limitations on the life of our enslaved but unbowed nation.

It is not easy to achieve state sovereignty: the best sons and daughters of our nation made huge sacrifices for the freedom and independence of their homeland. But, with God's help, the struggle culminated in victory. Again and again, Ukraine demonstrated to the world that there is a great nation in the center of Europe, that Ukrainians were ready and able to fight for their independence and the re-establishment of their statehood. After centuries of domination, first by tsarist Russia and then by the renewed empire known as the USSR, after decades of battle by Ukrainian patriots, among them the Ukrainian Sich Riflemen, the Ukrainian Galician Army, the army of the Ukrainian National Republic, the Galicia Division and the Ukrainian Insurgent Army, freedom was won. The world witnessed the realization of an age-old dream: independent Ukraine.

The August 24, 1991, declaration of the independence of Ukraine was followed by a nationwide referendum conducted on December 1, 1991, that yielded another great victory: more than 90 percent of the people of Ukraine voted for their country's independence.

Unfortunately, the years since the proclamation of independence were not always triumphant ones, as Ukraine faced discord and difficulty, and made mistakes. Nonetheless, this period was marked by significant achievements: a new currency was introduced, a new Constitution was adopted, the young Ukrainian state earned respect around the globe. Last year, for the first time ever, Ukraine experienced economic growth.

The Ukrainian community is concerned, however, about the decrease in Ukraine's population, the emigration of specialists in various fields beyond the borders of Ukraine. At the same time, wives, mothers and girls seek to make a living abroad; and youths have no prospects for professional careers.

The 108-year-old Ukrainian National Association, the oldest and largest Ukrainian organization outside of Ukraine, greets the Ukrainian nation on the occasion of the 11th anniversary of Ukraine's independence and extends its best wishes for success in surmounting economic and social obstacles, as well as further progress in building a strong democratic state governed by rule of law.

We greet the hierarchs of Ukrainian Churches, the president and government of Ukraine, the Verkhovna Rada and all those who honestly and earnestly work for the benefit of their nation and their country.

We call on the membership of the Ukrainian National Association to assist our brothers and sisters in Ukraine who are working toward the spiritual and physical rebirth that will ensure a brighter future for Ukraine.

Slava Ukraini! - Glory to Ukraine!

Stefan Kaczaraj
President

Copyright © The Ukrainian Weekly, August 25, 2002, No. 34, Vol. LXX

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