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Poroshenko signs law on Ukrainian as the only state language

The Ukrainian leader believes the law "unites the nation"

Ukrainian President Pyotr Poroshenko EPA/TATYANA ZENKOVICH

Ukrainian President Pyotr Poroshenko

© EPA/TATYANA ZENKOVICH

KIEV, May 15. /TASS/. Ukrainian President Pyotr Poroshenko has signed the law on provision of the functioning of the Ukrainian language as the state language on Wednesday. The signing ceremony was broadcast by all central Ukrainian TV channels.

"I, as President Pyotr Poroshenko, have the greatest honor and a unique opportunity to sign the law on provision of the functioning of the Ukrainian language as the state language," he said.

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According to the Ukrainian leader, the said law "unites nation" and Ukrainians have been waiting for this "many, many years." "This law does not affect no language of the national minorities who live in Ukraine as the law "is not about that"," he added.

On April 25, Verkhovna Rada (Ukrainian Parliament) passed the law on provision of the functioning of the Ukrainian language as the state language, which stipulates that from now on Ukrainians should resort to the Ukrainian language in all spheres of their lives. The law will be enforced by "language inspectors". They will be allowed to attend any state agency’s meetings, request documents from civic associations and political parties, as well as impose fines.

On May 14, the Ukrainian Parliament did not adopt any of the four projects to annul the voting on this bill. Parliament’s Speaker Andrei Parubiy signed the law and promised to promptly present it to the President for signing as well. At the same time, he warned that should anyone attempt to "revise" the language law, they would feel "the wrath of the Ukrainian people."

Deputy Opposition Bloc parliament faction leader Alexander Vilkul earlier said that his faction had already collected the needed amount of MPs’ signatures to refer the law to the national Constitutional Court.

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