Ukraine President Addresses Joint Session of Congress

Ukraine President Addresses Joint Session of Congress
April 22, 2005

Recently, Ukraine President Victor Yuschenko addressed a joint session of Congress. The speech covered a wide range of topics, including the goals President Yuschenko has set for the Ukraine and a list of legislative items that would benefit the Ukraine - which he asked Congress to consider. Most exciting was Mr. Yuschenko's discussion of some of the key concepts of democracy, to which he drew parallels between the United States and the Ukraine. He quoted from our founding fathers and some of our most significant presidents, including Abraham Lincoln and Ronald Reagan. President Yuschenko also made a commitment to continue to ally with the United States to fight terrorism.

Mr. Yuschenko noted that on the wall of the House chamber appears the Latin phrase, "E Pluribus Unum," which means out of many, one. In 1776 the Great Seal Committee chose the phrase which referred to the integration of 13 independent colonies into one united country. The motto is on the Great Seal of the United States, which is on the back of every U.S. dollar bill.

"This motto reminds the world about the American Revolution, the starting point of the modern world's history of liberty," said Mr. Yuschenko. He compared the motto, "E Pluribus Unum" to a motto that became important during the Ukrainian Orange Revolution of late last year. "My road here went through the orange-colored Independence Square that became known as Maidan. Millions of people standing there continuously repeated it: 'Together we are many, we cannot be defeated.' This motto of the Ukrainian revolution is a reminder of the fact that freedom continues to win. Ukraine is opening a new page in the world's chronicle of liberty in the 21st century. These two mottos have a lot in common. They speak to the strength of our peoples that comes from unity," said President Yuschenko. American support of fair and transparent elections late last year was clearly an important factor in the peaceful Orange Revolution. President Yuschenko thanked the United States for its support and made clear that our support was felt when he said, "We highly appreciated the message sent by your country's leadership before the elections and during the Orange Revolution. It was clear and unambiguous." He reflected on America's longtime support for a free Ukraine. A particularly poignant moment came when Mr. Yuschenko said, "Ukrainians felt related to Americans in the space of freedom. In this space of freedom, no Iron Curtain could divide us." When mentioning the Iron Curtain, he paid special tribute to President Reagan for his commitment to the freedom of the Ukraine. Although the Ukraine may be a fledging democracy, President Yuschenko demonstrated his understanding of the essential ingredients to foster democracy and he bares the scars that prove he intends to see freedom flourish. He talked about the rights found in our Bill of Rights that are the backbone of our free society and now belong to Ukrainians. His words just as easily could have been spoken by an American President. For example he said, "It (the form of government) must safeguard the constitutional rights and freedoms of citizens. We want a government of the people, by the people, and for the people."

He discussed the key principles of the first amendment; religious freedom, freedom of speech and a free press. "We practice different religions…But we all recognize the right of each and every individual to determine his or her faith. The first indicator of change is the ever-growing independence of mass media. We have freed the press from pressures. We are building a free society, committed to freedom of speech; and we stand ready to defend it."

President Yuschenko also promised to be a reliable partner to the U.S. in fighting terrorism. Optimistically he said, "We can defeat the ideology of hatred that nourishes it. I am fully convinced that the time will come when in the dictionary of world languages, the term terrorism will be followed by the footnote, archaic term."

Victor Yuschenko's face is still scarred and distorted from being poisoned during his country's election controversy. This opportunity to see President Yuschenko speak in person helps put into perspective how well, relatively speaking, our election process and our democracy work in the United States.

http://www.house.gov/miketurner/news/press.rel/4.22.05.shtml