Minister for Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Kostyantyn Gryshchenko received OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities Knut Vollebaek, who is in Ukraine on a working visit in the framework of the sides’ regular dialogue on the issues of minorities.

This year's visit of the OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities to our country is an important opportunity to discuss cooperation between this reputable OSCE Office and Ukraine, which will be chairing the OSCE in 2013.

The Minister emphasized Ukraine’s unchanged support of the mandate of the OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities, nowadays remaining topical for all the OSCE Participating States.

The sides confirmed the importance of all the OSCE Participating States meeting their commitments to protect the rights of persons belonging to national minorities in order to guarantee stability and security on the area from Vancouver to Vladivostok.

Kostyantyn Gryshchenko informed Knut Vollebaek on the measures taken in Ukraine to fully protect the rights of persons belonging to national minorities.

The OSCE High Commissioner expressed his willingness to further support Ukrainian government’s efforts to strengthen the legislative framework for protecting the rights of persons belonging to national minorities, as well as to solve the issues of resettlement, and social adaptation and integration of the formerly deported people in Crimea.

The sides expressed their satisfaction with the level of cooperation on the abovementioned issues and noted their willingness to continue a constructive dialogue on the questions of protecting the rights of national minorities in Ukraine, and of the rights of ethnic Ukrainians living in other states. They agreed to maintain regular working contacts during the preparation for and Chairmanship of Ukraine in the OSCE in 2013.