Embassy in Washington hosts Independence Day reception (08/30/98)

Embassy in Washington hosts Independence Day reception

by Yaro Bihun
Special to The Ukrainian Weekly

WASHINGTON - The Ukrainian Embassy in Washington marked Ukrainian Independence Day with an anniversary reception on August 24.

Ukraine's ambassador to the United States, Dr. Yuri Shcherbak, who hosted the Embassy event, recounted Ukraine's accomplishments over the seven years of its independence and some of the problems that still have to be overcome, and stressed his government's determination to achieve its goals as Ukraine enters the 21st century.

Before a packed Embassy reception room that included U.S. officials, diplomats, businesspeople and members of the Ukrainian American community, Ambassador Shcherbak also honored a long-time executive officer of the Ukrainian National Association, Wolodymyr Sochan, with the Ukrainian President's Award for Merit medal.

Among those present at the reception from the U.S. government were Ross Wilson, the principal deputy to the State Department's ambassador-at-large and special advisor to the secretary of state for the new independent states; Melanne Verveer, the first lady's chief of staff; and Ambassador William Courtney, until recently special assistant to the president and senior director for Russia, Ukraine and Eurasian affairs at the National Security Council.

Russia's ambassador to the United States, Yuli Vorontsov, led the list of foreign diplomatic guests including representatives from Kazakstan, Poland, Germany, Hungary, Slovakia, France, the Czech Republic, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan; Kempton Jenkins, executive director of the Ukraine-U.S. Business Council, headed the business community presence.

Addressing the guests, Ambassador Shcherbak underscored the historic importance of Ukraine's independence, which, he said, "radically changed the geopolitical map of Europe."

Despite the many, primarily economic, problems that remain to be resolved in Ukraine, there is "much to celebrate," he said: Ukraine has been free of inter-ethnic and inter-regional conflicts; it transferred executive and legislative power through free elections, introduced economic reforms, adopted a new Constitution and election law, rid itself of nuclear weapons, joined a number of Western structures, established diplomatic relations with more than 150 countries, opened 70 embassies and other diplomatic missions, enjoys friendly relations with all of its neighboring countries, and has developed a strategic partnership with the United States.

Ambassador Shcherbak said that Ukraine considers the Ukraine-U.S. strategic partnership "one of the most important achievements in Ukrainian foreign policy," and he expressed Ukraine's appreciation for continued U.S. support of Ukraine's independence and development.

Looking ahead at the "long and hard road" Ukraine must travel into the 21st century, Dr. Shcherbak expressed his confidence that Ukraine will overcome its economic problems and will succeed in achieving its goal of becoming "a prosperous, democratic nation in the family of European countries."

"We are determined to achieve this goal," he stressed. "We can do it, and we will do it."

(The full text of the ambassador's address appears on page 6.)

Speaking on behalf of Secretary of State Madeleine K. Albright, Ross Wilson noted that the United States and Ukraine share many interests and objectives, and have worked hard on achieving them through the Kuchma-Gore Binational Commission and other means.

"You and your countrymen, Mr. Ambassador, and you in particular, can be proud of what you've achieved, even as you and we look forward to the many challenges we have lying ahead of us," he said.

Ukraine's key challenges are many, Mr. Wilson said, adding: "The United States remains committed to supporting your government's efforts to foster economic development and democracy. And we look forward to working with you in the coming millennium that you referred to in meeting those challenges."

Presenting the Ukrainian President's Award for Merit to Mr. Sochan, Ambassador Shcherbak noted that it was in recognition of his "personal contribution in promoting Ukrainian-U.S. cooperation and his activities in Ukrainian American institutions for many years."

Mr. Sochan, now an honorary member of the Ukrainian National Association General Assembly, retired from the fraternal organization's Executive Committee in 1994 after 45 years of service at the UNA, including 28 years as supreme secretary.

He is a member of the Secretariat of the Presidium of the World Congress of Ukrainians and was a member of the initiative group that laid the groundwork for the establishment of the World Congress of Free Ukrainians. Mr. Sochan also serves as vice-president of National Council of the Ukrainian American Coordinating Council and is a member of the board of directors of the Coordinating Committee to Aid Ukraine, which he helped found.

Mr. Sochan was the UNA representative at World Forums of Ukrainians held in Kyiv in 1992 and 1997, and, somewhat earlier, was the UNA's representative to Ukrainian Congress Committee of America.

His long career also included journalism and sports: he was a correspondent for the Voice of America for 12 years in the 1960s-1970s, sports editor of Svoboda for 25 years, and a founding member of the Ukrainian Sports Association of the U.S.A. and Canada, in which he served on the executive board.

Ukraine's ambassador to U.S. speaks on independence anniversary

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