Ukrainian Speaker Volodymyr Lytvyn has said that the Helsinki process triggered the establishment of civil society in Ukraine. Ukrainian Speaker Volodymyr Lytvyn has said that the Helsinki process triggered the establishment of civil society in Ukraine and country's independence and this is not a merit of 'Orange Revolution' as some Ukrainian politicians say.

Lytvyn gave his views in his article devoted to the 35th anniversary of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) creation published in the Holos Ukrainy on Saturday.

Lytvyn said that exactly Helsinki ideas prompted the unprecedented pace of maturing and establishment of new political forces, erosion and destruction of geopolitical blocs and spheres of influence, and formation of national civil societies on the territory of former Soviet Union.

The speaker pointed out quick development of civil society institutes in Ukraine after the signing of The Helsinki Final Act, starting from the foundation of the Ukrainian Helsinki Group in November 1976. By summer 2005, the Ukrainian Justice Ministry's register included 127 political parties and over 2,000 all-Ukrainian and international nongovernmental organizations, while the number of Ukrainian nongovernmental organizations with a local status exceeded 22,000.

Lytvyn said that this process is impossible to stop and it is swelling. Over past years the number of political parties grew by ten every year, the number of all-Ukrainian and international nongovernmental organizations grew by over 200 organizations and the number of Ukrainian nongovernmental organizations with a local status by 2,000-3,000 every year.