You're reading: Russian ambassador to Ukraine: Russian language will speed up modernization

Russian Ambassador to Ukraine Mikhail Zurabov on Nov. 12 said opening a conference in Kyiv that the use of the Russian language is key factor for technological development of former Soviet states .

"It think that the Russian language, inasmuch as it is a unique instrument, will be essential in the near future as a necessary condition for the modernization necessary to modernize the post-Soviet landscape," Zurabov was quoted as saying.

Some 40 guests from throughout the former Soviet Union were scheduled to deliver speeches at the conference.

Ukrainian lawmakers on Sept. 7 registered controversial legislation, titled On Languages in Ukraine, which would elevate the status of Russian in Ukraine. Opposition deputies have threatened to block passage of the bill.