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ITAR-TASS news agency, Moscow, in Russian, 26 Aug 03
BBC Monitoring Service, UK, in English, Aug 26, 2003
Kiev, 26 August: Ukraine does not intend to demand apologies from Russia for
the 1932-33 famine, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Anatoliy Zlenko told
journalists today. "We are trying not to bring this issue to a head," he
said. "It is crucial that we involve different countries in seeking a
solution to this problem, in order to make sure that the 70th anniversary of
the tragedy is recognized as a commemorative event," the minister believes.
Ukraine survived three famines in the 20th century: in 1921-23, 1932-33 and
1946-47. According to estimates by Ukrainian historians, in the 1932-33
famine alone, which resulted from administrative measures by Soviet
authorities, the death toll was 7m-10m. In May 2003, the Ukrainian
parliament declared that the famine in the 1930s was genocide of the
Ukrainian people, and some political forces insist that Russia should make
public apologies.
The Russian ambassador to Ukraine, Viktor Chernomyrdin, has recently
addressed these demands. He stated that Russia had nothing to apologize for
to anyone. Russia, as the USSR's assignee, had taken on its debt obligations
and other commitments, and it should be thanked for it, the ambassador said.
He expressed surprise at the accusations being levelled at Russia over the
famine.
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