You're reading: Turchynov, Yatseniuk: Local authorities in Ukraine to receive right to decide on official regional languages

 Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine and Acting President Oleksandr Turchynov has said that the local authorities will receive the powers to decide on official languages in their respective areas, while Ukrainian will be the state language across the country.

 “To ensure peace and understanding among Ukrainian citizens,
regional, city and district councils will be granted the right to decide
about the provision in their respective areas of the official status to
Russian or other languages spoken by the majority of the local
population, which will be official languages [in respective localities] along with the state language – Ukrainian,” he said in an televised
speech on April 18.

In turn, Prime Minister Arseniy Yatseniuk said: “We are giving the
special status to the Russian language and the protection to this
language, we will give the special status to any other language on the
territory of its community.”

He stressed that this was necessary for achieving mutual understanding in Ukraine.

The text of his speech was approved by the parliamentary majority and signed by Yatseniuk and Turchynov.

The Verkhovna Rada on April 18 was unable to reach an agreement
concerning the text of a memorandum pledging a peaceful settlement in
eastern Ukraine. Members of the factions of the Party of Regions and the
Communist Party refused to sign the document.

Key provisions of the memorandum are contained in the statement,
which on behalf of the majority of MPs was signed by Acting President,
Parliament Speaker Oleksandr Turchynov and Prime Minister Arseniy
Yatseniuk.