These days the team of the Alliance of National Communities «Європейська Коаліція» is working in the Odesa region, and in Odesa in particular, where we held a series of important meetings with heads of civic organisations, with leaders and representatives of national communities, and with educators, members of the intelligentsia and active public figures of the Odesa region and Bessarabia.
I had the honour of speaking with the leaders and representatives of the Azerbaijani, Jewish, Georgian, Moldovan, Gagauz, Bulgarian, German, Roma and other national communities. At these meetings we discussed key issues in the development of civil society and the protection of the rights of national communities, as well as our shared vision of uniting the civic and political movement within the political party «Європейська Коаліція».
We paid particular attention to shaping a common ideology, a development strategy, priority areas of work and mechanisms for effective interaction between all the national communities of the region.
The meetings concluded with a shared agreement that representatives of national communities will join the political party «Європейська Коаліція» and that an Odesa regional branch of the party will be created. This will be an important step towards consolidating active citizens, representatives of different national communities, and everyone who shares European values, the principles of democracy, mutual respect and responsibility for Ukraine’s future.
I am sincerely grateful to the heads of civic organisations, to representatives of national communities and to everyone who took part in the meetings for their openness, their trust and their readiness to work together.
Today, when Ukraine is going through the hardest trials in its modern history, our duty is not to look for what divides us but to find what unites us. We differ in origin, language and culture, but we are joined by a common home — Ukraine, by a shared responsibility for its future and by a shared wish to see it a strong, democratic and European state.
It is in unity, mutual respect and cooperation that the strength to build a future is born. And it is exactly this Ukraine that we are creating together.
The «Європейська Коаліція» team is receiving many signals of support and constructive feedback from every corner of Ukraine. That is why in the near future we will continue our working trips to other regions of the country, where together with representatives of national communities, civil society and active people we will build strong regional teams of «Європейська Коаліція». Our goal is to unite people around shared values, shared responsibility and a shared vision of the future of a European Ukraine.
