AJC Concludes Visit to Ukraine

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Sep 09, 2014, 02:58 ET

KIEV, Ukraine, Sept. 9, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- An AJC senior leadership delegation has concluded a three-day visit to Ukraine's capital.

The group, led by AJC President Stanley Bergman and Executive Director David Harris, and including several members of the AJC Board of Governors, met with Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk, Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin, top representatives of the National Security Services, and the American, German, and Israeli ambassadors to Ukraine.

"We visited Ukraine to express our solidarity with the Ukrainian people, as well as our strong support for their clearly-expressed aspirations for an ever closer association with the EU and the transatlantic community," said AJC Executive Director David Harris.

During the visit, the delegation discussed the conflict in eastern Ukraine and its regional implications, the state of the Jewish community, and recent developments in Ukrainian-U.S., Ukrainian-EU, and Ukrainian-Israeli relations.

"We commend the Ukrainian government's determination and courage in recent months, especially in light of the daunting challenges facing the country," said Harris. "It is critically important that the world, particularly the U.S. and EU, continue to support Ukrainian independence and territorial integrity. This is truly a defining moment in global affairs."

The trip also included meetings with Ukrainian Jewish leaders, with whom AJC has long maintained close, cooperative ties. The visit was the third such mission in the past six months alone.

Since 1991, AJC has staunchly supported an independent Ukraine aligned with democratic values and free to chart its own destiny. In May 2014, AJC's Director of Russian Affairs, Sam Kliger, relocated to Kiev to serve as AJC's representative in Ukraine.

SOURCE American Jewish Committee