You're reading: Ukrainian foreign minister proposes making Ukrainian language promotion a national project, devoting 2018 to history

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin said in commenting on the idea by three former Ukrainian presidents to declare 2018 a year of Ukrainian language promotion that this should be turned into a national project.

“A worthy initiative by three presidents. But the promotion of the Ukrainian language should rather become a national project, which cannot fit in just one year. This year may be devoted to history, and we have a lot to do here,” Klimkin said on Twitter on Friday.

The year of Ukrainian language is currently observed in Germany, Klimkin said.

Earlier on Friday, former Ukrainian Presidents Leonid Kravchuk (1991-1994), Leonid Kuchma (1994-2005), and Viktor Yuschenko (2005-2010) urged incumbent President Petro Poroshenko to support the initiative on declaring 2018 a year of Ukrainian language promotion.

“This step would reinforce the foundation of Ukraine’s statehood in such a turbulent time in our history, help consolidate society, and show our foreign partners our fortitude and confidence in our own ideals,” the three presidents said in their letter to Poroshenko.

In commenting on Poroshenko’s idea to declare 2017 a year of English language in Ukraine, the authors of the letter mentioned its “significant results for the development of science and culture” and a manifestation of Ukraine’s “Euro-integration aspirations.”

“Amid the hybrid aggression against our state and the threat of violation of its territory’s integrity, the promotion of the official language in all public affairs throughout the entire territory of Ukraine is an extremely important unifying factor to oppose this,” the letter says.