UNITED NATIONS, July 16. /TASS/. The new Ukrainian authorities have a chance to settle the five-year long conflict in Donbass if political will is there, UN Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs Rosemary DiCarlo told the UN Security Council meeting on the issue of Ukraine’s adoption of the state language law.
"Ukraine stands today at a time of opportunity to build further on its reform record, and to revitalize the diplomatic efforts to resolve the five-year conflict in eastern Ukraine. This will require, first and foremost, political will by all concerned, with the support of the international community, in the critical search for peace," she warned.
"We hope that following the parliamentary elections and the formation of a new government, the recent encouraging statements would be followed by concrete actions by all actors to bring, at long last, a positive dynamic to implement the Minsk Agreements," DiCarlo added.
She also expressed concerns that the language law, which comes into force on Tuesday, may affect the national minorities. "The new law has raised concerns both within and outside Ukraine," she said. "While many of the controversial points were addressed in its final version, the law still raises concerns." "The UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights recommends that the Ukrainian Government should elaborate, as established by the language law, a law on the realization of the rights of national minorities of Ukraine," DiCarlo underlined.
At the same time, the UN Under-Secretary-General welcomed the statements made by Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky that the law on the state language will be thoroughly analyzed. "We hope that this will pave the way for further measures to safeguard the realization of the rights of minorities," she said.
On April 25, the Verkhovna Rada (Ukrainian Parliament) passed the law on provision of the functioning of the Ukrainian language as the state language. On May 15, it was signed by former President Pyotr Poroshenko. The document 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.