Joint Conferences present Gore with Friend of Ukraine Award (09/19/99)

Joint Conferences present Gore with Friend of Ukraine Award

by Roma Hadzewycz

WASHINGTON - Vice-President Al Gore received the Friend of Ukraine Award conferred by the Joint Conferences of Ukrainian American Organizations during a brief, off-the-record, meeting in his office at the Old Executive Office Building on September 15. The award recognized the vice-president's work in strengthening the U.S.-Ukraine strategic partnership.

Present were leaders of the Ukrainian American organizations that had played an integral role in the Joint Conferences held in Washington on June 23-27, as well as Mr. Gore's national security adviser, Leon Fuerth, who was the keynote speaker at the conferences' gala banquet.

Joint Conferences organizers had hoped the vice-president would be present at that banquet to personally accept the award. Instead, however, it was announced that the vice-president had been chosen to receive the award in recognition of his co-chairmanship of the U.S.-Ukraine Binational Commission (the Kuchma-Gore Commission) and that organizers would seek another opportunity to personally make the presentation.

Speaking for the group at the 15-minute meeting with the vice-president, Dr. Roman Goy, the principal organizer of the Joint Conferences of Ukrainian American Organizations and president of the Ukrainian Medical Association of North America, said: "We are here today because we ... recognize your leadership" and "look forward to this and future administrations' continued commitment to the development of democracy and prosperity in Ukraine through policies designed to promote further integration with the West and through enhanced assistance to Ukaine."

Addressing the Ukrainian American delegation, Vice-President Gore said: "I want to thank you all from the bottom of my heart for this Friend of Ukraine Award. I have received many awards in my 25 years of public service, but this one is particularly special. I am very proud of the work I have done on behalf of American-Ukrainian friendship and the work we're doing together to promote and advance Ukraine's historic transition to democracy."

As the meeting was off the record, the Office of the Vice-President released the above quote and noted that vice-president referred to his many trips to Ukraine as co-chair with President Leonid Kuchma of the Binational Commission.

The Office of the Vice-President also reported that Mr. Gore praised the great contributions of Ukrainian Americans to the building of America and commended the group for its concern and commitment to U.S.-Ukraine relations. He pointed out that Ukraine's strategic location in Europe makes its future a significant national security interest of the United States and, for that reason, it is important that the U.S. continue to support Ukraine's democratic transformation.

Other members of the Ukrainian delegation meeting with the vice-president were: Julian Kulas, First Security Federal Savings Bank; Ihor Chyzowych, Ukrainian National Credit Union Association; Iryna Kurowyckyj, Ukrainian National Women's League of America; Ihor Gawdiak, Ukrainian American Coordinating Council; Steven Szewczuk, Ukrainian American Veterans; Orest Deychakiwsky, The Washington Group; Lev Dobrjansky, Ukrainian Engineers' Society of America, Peter Piddoubny, Ukrainian American Bar Association; Jurij Dobczansky, Ukrainian Library Association of America; Ulana Baczynskyj, Association of Ukrainian American Architects; Walter Nazarewicz, Ukrainian Institute of America; Zenia Chernyk, Ukrainian Federation of America; Michael Sawkiw Jr., Ukrainian National Information Service; and Roma Hadzewycz, The Ukrainian Weekly.

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