AJC Leadership Delegation Visits Ukraine

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Jul 07, 2010, 05:44 ET

KYIV, Ukraine, July 7 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- An AJC leadership delegation just concluded a two-day visit to Ukraine.

The 11-member group met with Prime Minister Mykola Azarov, the President's Deputy Chief of Staff for External Affairs Amb. Andrii Goncharuk, and Deputy Foreign Minister Oleksandr Horin.

AJC also met with Opposition Leader Yulia Tymoshenko and former President Viktor Yushchenko.

The delegation was briefed by American Ambassador John Tefft and Israeli ambassador Zina Kalay-Kleitman, and met with leaders of the Jewish community, including representatives of the VAAD, the Ukrainian Jewish Committee, and the Ukrainian Union of Jewish Students.

"Meeting with the Jewish community was a profoundly moving experience for the delegation," said AJC Executive Director David Harris. "It is inspiring to witness how vibrant Jewish life has returned to a land where Jews experienced such horrendous tragedies in the 20th century, including the Nazi massacre at Babi Yar in Kyiv," added Harris.

The AJC delegation visited Babi Yar and recited the Mourner's Kaddish for the tens of thousands of Jews murdered there in the fall of 1941 by occupying Nazi forces and local collaborators.

The discussion with Ukrainian officials focused on the bilateral relationship with the United States, following the visit to Kyiv last week of U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and with Israel. High on the agenda was a shared concern about Iran's ominous nuclear program and continued defiance of the will of the international community.

Moreover, the delegation discussed a pilot project, involving AJC, Germany and local participants, to identify and protect mass graves of Jews from the Holocaust in Ukraine. The project was triggered by the laudable work of Father Patrick Desbois, a Catholic priest, who was honored by AJC four years ago for his commitment to the protection of Holocaust memory.

"AJC appreciates Ukraine's support for Israel," said Harris. "In particular, AJC applauds Ukraine's vote at the UN against the infamous Goldstone Report, as well as the forthcoming agreement for a visa-free agreement with Israel. The accord is expected to boost bilateral tourism and trade."

"For AJC, Ukraine has been an important country since the re-establishment of its independence in 1991, a step we actively supported," concluded Harris. "That's why we have visited regularly and sought to be helpful, including in the successful 'graduation' of Ukraine by the U.S. Congress from the Jackson-Vanik Amendment. Ukraine is a large country with vast potential, is home to a large Jewish community and a rich Jewish heritage that is slowly being reclaimed, and has important links with Israel."

Prior to Kyiv, the AJC group was in Azerbaijan for meetings with President Ilham Aliyev and senior officials of his government, as well as American and Israel diplomats.

SOURCE American Jewish Committee