International conference on Ukraine held in Switzerland

by Anne Cordey

FRIBOURG, Switzerland - An international conference titled "Ukraine: Challenges of a Country in Transformation" was held on April 19-20, at the University of Fribourg, Switzerland.

The organizers of the conference were: the Interfaculty Institute of East and Central Europe, Nicolas Hayoz, director; the Institute for Ecumenical Studies, Father Guido Vergauwen, director; and the Ukrainian Society of Switzerland, Andrej N. Lushnycky, president.

This was the second such symposium devoted exclusively to Ukrainian subjects. The first, in November 2001, was composed of many distinguished international guests, among them the former president of Ukraine, Leonid Kravchuk, and was dedicated to the celebration of 10 years of Ukrainian independence.

This year's conference featured 16 speakers from nine countries and was held in the context of the annual "European Days" at the University, a celebration of the establishment of the Council of Europe. The conference was divided into six sessions and a roundtable discussion dealing with the following topics:

• Political Changes - chaired by Prof. Hayoz and featuring Taras Kuzio's (University of Toronto) presentation "Between Totalitarianism and Democracy: Assessing Regime Type in Ukraine" and the discussant Rainer Lindner of the University of Constance;
  
  
• Media - chaired by A. N. Lushnycky centering on Marta Dyczok's (University of Western Ontario) paper "Does Ukraine have an Independent Media?" with Volodymyr Zabihajlo (Kyiv University) serving as discussant;
  
  
• Security - chaired by Jean-Francois Emmenegger, dealing with Bohdan Hawrylyshyn's (Center for Policy Studies, Kyiv) paper "Ukrainian National Security: Issues and Prospects" with Volodymyr Khangogiy, Ukraine's ambassador to Belgium, Luxembourg and NATO, serving as discussant;
  
  
• Economic Cooperation - featured Michel EvÈquoz of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation and Rudolph A. Müller of the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs, who discussed Ukraine-Swiss relations in the areas of finance and economics;
  
  
• Church and Religion - chaired by Barbara Hallensleben, featuring specialists Msgr. Ivan Dacko (responsible for foreign relations for the Ukrainian Catholic Church), Nikolaus Wyrwoll (Institute of Eastern Churches, Regensburg, Germany), Alexei Krindatch (Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow), Dietmar Schon (University of Augsburg, Germany);
  
  
• Literature and Culture - chaired by Rolf Fieguth, featuring Leonid Rudnytzky's (Ukrainian Free University, Munich) paper, "Quintessential Features of Ukrainian Literature," and Mykola Zhulynsky's (National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine) paper, "National Cultures and the Problems of Globalization."

While diverse problems and issues were dealt with, much attention focused on the results of the Ukrainian parliamentary elections in Ukraine and their implications for the country's immediate future.

At the conclusion of the first day's program, Vincas Laurutis, rector of the University of Siauliai, Lithuania, was awarded the prestigious Swiss Baltic Net Prize. In the evening of that same day, the guests were entertained by the Zaspiv Bandurist Ensemble, from the Lviv Polytechnic University.

Over 100 people participated in the conference, among them such prominent personalities such as Ukraine's Ambassador to Switzerland Evhen Bersheda and Hans Wolfgang Brachinger, vice-rector of the University of Fribourg.

With regard to the unprecedented success of the two-day affair, Dr. Lushnycky said, "we can expect that the University of Fribourg is going to actively pursue its contacts with Ukraine and develop specific courses or programs dealing with Ukrainian subjects."

Anne Cordey is a freelance journalist.

Copyright © The Ukrainian Weekly, June 16, 2002, No. 24, Vol. LXX

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