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REMARKS by Volodymyr Yatsenkivskyi
Minister Counselor of the Embassy of Ukraine
To Members of the National Capital Memorial Commission
National Park Service, Washington, D.C., May 22, 2003
"2003 marks the 70th anniversary of the deliberate killing of millions of
Ukrainians in 1932-33. Seventy years later, world still largely unaware of
the horrific genocidal catastrophe that befell Ukraine.
The Government of Ukraine places high emphasis on commemoration of the
anniversary of the Ukrainian Holodomor - Famine-Genocide.
Almost three years ago in late October 2000 the President of Ukraine issued
an order, On the Day to Commemorate Victims of the Famine and Political
Repression. In that way the Ukrainian state had formulated its approach to
Soviet totalitarian past.
The Government of Ukraine takes all possible measures to research the
Famine - Genocide comprehensively and deeply, to perpetuate the memory
of millions of innocent victims and to condemn the crime at the
international
level.
The final unequivocal estimation of the meaning of Holodomor in Ukraine is
the sign of maturity of our people, rising understanding in the country that
people who don't remember their common tragic past are not guaranteed to
avoid it in the future.
The Government of Ukraine supports the initiative of the Ukrainian community
of the United States, in particular the Ukrainian Congress Committee of
America to build in Washington a monument to the victims of the Holodomor.
This is an extremely important decision to perpetuate the memory about the
most heinous mass crime not only against Ukrainians but also against the
civilization. And continuation of the research work in this field in the USA
will be very important.
The introduction in the House of Representatives of a bill ponsored by
Congressman S.Levin, which calls for erection of this memorial by the year
2008 in Washington, D.C. demonstrates the successive US Government
policy since 1984 of researching the Holodomor and its consequences,
condemning the perpetrators against humanity.
The erection of the monument will prove in practice, that the Holodomor as
Holocaust is not only Ukrainian tragedy but also the tragedy of all
civilized society and must be resolutely condemned in order to ensure that
such tragedies are not repeated in the future.
No doubts the monument in Washington, D.C. will symbolize the will of
Ukrainians all over the world in cooperation with their friends of other
nations to guarantee the prosperous future for Ukraine."
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