You're reading: Mohyliov: Language law important for multinational Crimea

Crimean Prime Minister Anatoliy Mohyliov has said that a bill on the principles of the state language policy, which was adopted by the Verkhovna Rada at first reading on Tuesday, "is progressive and important for the multinational Crimea."

"In my opinion, the adoption of this bill as a basis is a great achievement. It is especially important for Crimea, the home to representatives of different nationalities," the main information policy department of the Crimean Council of Minister quoted him as saying.

Mohyliov said this bill was a compromise decision that will help fully protect the constitutional rights and freedoms of Ukrainian citizens of all nationalities.

"Every citizen should exercise his or her civil rights and liberties in the language in which he or she thinks. The Russian language in Crimea is a language of interethnic communication. The Crimean Tatars also live here, and they also have the right not only to speak, but also to contact government agencies in their own language," he added.

Mohyliov said that the bill fully meets European practice in the field of languages.

"There are states in Europe and the world that have more than one official language. Therefore, this law is progressive and, I hope, it will be adopted at second reading soon," he said.