Threat to Ukrainian language equals to threat to national security, language ombudsperson says
The threat to the Ukrainian language is a threat to national security, as per the Constitutional Court.
That’s according to Taras Kremin, Ukraine’s Commissioner for the Protection of the State Language, who spoke with the Holos Ukrainy gazette, Ukrinform reports.
"The issue of state language policy is among the priorities of the Ukrainian government, and the threat to the Ukrainian language is a threat to national security, according to the Constitutional Court of Ukraine, which ruled that the language law is constitutional," Kremin said.
That is why, said the commissioner, with the multimillion support of Ukrainian citizens, perhaps the greatest assistance seen in implementing legislation in all areas, including services, museums, tourism, publishing, education, cinema, and governance.
Violations recorded at certain TV channels, Kremin says, are systemic and glaring, albeit temporary, and will definitely be fixed.
"It can’t be any other way in our country, which is already suffering from hybrid war and political attempts at self-Russification. Statistics show that the number of such violations has significantly dropped and that there’s much more Ukrainian language out there. And this isn’t the limit," he added.
According to the commissioner for the protection of the state language, for the first time since Ukraine regained independence, the state language is truly protected. There is a relevant law in place, as well as language proficiency certification, language courses, and a government program for the development of the Ukrainian language. All of this, he added, is a confirmation of daily work at a horizontal level, on the efficiency and interaction of various agencies, on which Ukraine’s humanitarian future depends.
"For example, in close cooperation with the authorities, we now have relevant deputy ministers for the implementation of the language law, and in each region – first deputy heads of regional state administrations, responsible for developing comprehensive regional programs," he said.
Kremin also believes that as long as the “bloody war” continues, the language issue, without which the fifth column can’ survive, will remain political. In fact, this is a worldview, ideological, and civilizational issue, the official stressed.
By affirming own language, implementing humanitarian reforms, supporting cultural development, “we will never remain on the margins of our era,” Kremin concluded.
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