Pennsylvania Senate approves resolution on relations with Ukraine (07/17/05)

Pennsylvania Senate approves resolution on relations with Ukraine

HARRISBURG, Pa. - The Pennsylvania Senate on June 29 unanimously approved a resolution offered by Sen. Stewart J. Greenleaf (R-Montgomery/Bucks) to encourage the governor and the Department of Community and Economic Development to establish relations with Ukraine for the purposes of cultural, educational, and economic exchange.

Sen. Greenleaf noted that President Viktor Yushchenko of Ukraine will be coming to Philadelphia in September to receive this year's Philadelphia Liberty Medal in recognition of his courage in overcoming tremendous obstacles to take the office to which he was elected by the people of Ukraine. "As a champion of liberty and a symbol of democracy, President Yushchenko already has a kinship with the city known as the cradle of liberty in the United States," Mr. Greenleaf said.

The senator noted that Pennsylvania is second among all the states in the number of citizens of Ukrainian descent and that the state is the site of the Ukrainian Heritage Studies Center at Manor Junior College in Jenkintown, the Ukrainian Educational and Cultural Center in Philadelphia, and the Ukrainian American Sport Center Tryzub in Horsham Township, Montgomery County.

Sen. Greenleaf pointed to the important role people of Ukrainian descent played in the coal and steel industries of Pennsylvania. He said that Ukraine and Pennsylvania have in common fertile farmland, mineral resources and metal industries, and that their people share the values of freedom and independence.

In remarks on the Senate floor, Sen. Greenleaf referenced Ukraine's Orange Revolution, in which Ukrainians took to the streets to demand that Mr. Yushchenko take office as their duly elected leader following an election, widely viewed as rigged, that resulted in the elevation to the presidency of Mr. Yushchenko's Russian-backed opponent.

The overwhelming citizen pressure and resultant world opinion in favor of the Orange Revolution led to a second election in which Mr. Yushchenko, while suffering the effects of a suspicious poisoning, was certified as the peoples' choice for president.

Mr. Greenleaf said that Senate Resolution 142 encourages the state to undertake trade missions, student and faculty exchanges, and a mutually beneficial cultural and tourism relationship with Ukraine. He introduced the resolution at the prompting of a constituent of Ukrainian heritage.

The senator said that Pennsylvania in 2004 exported over $10 million in machinery and transportation equipment to Ukraine, the second largest nation in Europe."The basis for close ties between the commonwealth and Ukraine already exists, and I believe that we should take this opportunity to establish a formal link," Sen. Greenleaf said.

The resolution will be transmitted to the governor and to the Secretary of the Department of Community and Economic Development. Sen. Greenleaf said he plans to send personal letters as well to Gov. Edward G. Rendell and Secretary Dennis Yablonsky, asking their consideration of the resolution.

Following is the full text of Resolution 142.

* * *

A resolution urging the governor and the Department of Community and Economic Development to establish relations with the nation of Ukraine in the areas of arts and culture, economic development and travel and tourism.

Whereas, Ukraine is located in Eastern Europe and borders the Black Sea between Poland, Romania and Moldova in the west and Russia in the east; and

Whereas, Ukraine is strategically positioned at the crossroads between Europe and Asia and is the second-largest country in Europe; and

Whereas, Ukraine is a republic that gained independence from the Soviet Union in 1991; and

Whereas, The events of the Orange Revolution under the leadership of Ukraine's current president, Viktor Yushchenko, have dismantled the concept of oligarchic rule and replaced it with an irrevocable commitment to democracy, rule of law, free enterprise and equality of opportunity; and

Whereas, Ukraine has a population of approximately 47.4 million people, a land area of 603,700 square kilometers and had a gross domestic product of $65 billion in 2004; and

Whereas, According to the 2000 census, approximately 900,000 Americans of Ukrainian heritage live in the United States; and

Whereas, Pennsylvania ranks second in the nation with 122,150 individuals of Ukrainian ancestry, although statistics kept by Ukrainian churches in Pennsylvania suggest that there are tens of thousands more Pennsylvanians of Ukrainian heritage; and

Whereas, Americans of Ukrainian descent have contributed significantly to the spiritual, cultural and material well-being of the United States and Pennsylvania; and

Whereas, some of the first immigrants from Ukraine to the United States settled in the anthracite coal mining towns of Pennsylvania; and

Whereas, Shenandoah Borough, Schuylkill County, is the location of the first Ukrainian Catholic Church in the United States and the Archdiocese of the Ukrainian Catholic Church in America is located in Philadelphia; and

Whereas, Pennsylvania is home to the Ukrainian Heritage Studies Center at Manor Junior College in Jenkintown Borough, Montgomery County, which provides opportunities to learn about Ukrainian culture and folk art; and

Whereas, Pennsylvania is also home to the Ukrainian Educational and Cultural Center, a non-profit organization located in Jenkintown, which preserves and promotes awareness of Ukrainian heritage throughout the community; and

Whereas, Pennsylvania is also home to the Ukrainian American Sport Center Tryzub in Horsham Township, Montgomery County, which maintains a first-class sports program for Pennsylvania residents and also preserves, fosters and promotes Ukrainian cultural and artistic pursuits; and

Whereas, Ukraine is rich in fertile soil, and agriculture represents an important component of the country's economy, similar to Pennsylvania; and

Whereas, like Pennsylvania, Ukraine is rich in deposits of anthracite coal, oil and natural gas and has a repository of many minerals necessary for manufacturing and defense industries, including, but not limited to, cobalt, nickel, copper and manganese; and

Whereas, Ukraine is fertile ground for investment by Pennsylvania businesses that will find existing industrial, textile and other commercial complexes and a hard-working, educated and skilled work force there; and

Whereas, in 2004 Pennsylvania exported more than $10 million in goods, including machinery and transportation equipment, to Ukraine; and

Whereas, a relationship between Pennsylvania and Ukraine can develop and prosper by sponsoring trade missions, creating student and faculty exchange programs, implementing technology exchanges and creating a framework for cultural exchange and joint tourism; therefore be it

Resolved, that the Senate urge the governor and the Department of Community and Economic Development to establish relations with the nation of Ukraine in the areas of arts and culture, economic development and travel and tourism; and be it further

Resolved, that copies of this resolution be transmitted to the governor and the secretary of Community and Economic Development.

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