OLEXANDER BOZHKO: "THOUGH THE UKRAINIAN COMMUNITY OF ARMENIA IS NOT
OF GREAT NUMBER, BUT IS ACTIVE"
YEREVAN, AUGUST 25, NOYAN TAPAN. The history of the Ukrainian community
of Armenia started at least from the middle of the 19th century when
a group of settlers who came from the region of Poltava founded
the village of Nikolayevka near Stepanavan. As Olexander Bozhko,
the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Ukraine to the
RA mentioned in the interveiw to the Noyan Tapan correspondent,
their huts have been kept there by now. It was also mentioned that
according to data of the 2001 census, 1633 ethnic Ukrainians lived in
Armenia, though, according to non-official data, their number makes
about 3000. The Ambassador stated that the "Ukraine" Ukrainians’
Federation of Armenia functions in Armenia. The federation founded
in 1995 has departments in the cities of Vanadzor, Gyumri, Hrazdan,
Ijevan and Sevan. The federation publishes the "Dnipro-Slavutich"
monthly in the Armenian and Ukrainian languages.
O.Bozhko stated that the community members have possibility to study
in Ukraine: the most gifted of them are sent annually to Ukraine to
get education.
"It’s pleasant for us that Ukrianians founded in Armenia the "Dnipro"
choir, "Verbichenka" song ensemble, children’s "Dzvinochek" choir
and "Malyatko" dance ensemble. Participants of those organizations
every year hold their holidays in Ukraine, particularly, in the
"Artek" camp," the Ambassador said. The Ukrainians’ world forum, in
which representatives of the Ukrainian community of Armenia as well
participated, started in Kiev on August 18. In O.Bozhko’s words, the
"Ukrainian Song in World" artistic festival is being held within the
framework of the forum. The Ukrainian choir from Armenia participates
in the festival with its program. The Ambassador mentioned that this
choir, almost half of participants of which is ethnic Armenians,
performs songs both in Ukrainian and Armenian. As for the Armenian
community of Ukraine, in O.Bozhko’s words, about 30 thousand Armenians
lived in Ukraine in early 90s, and their number reaches 400-500
thousand at present. The Ambassador mentioned names of famous figures
of the Armenian origin, functioning in Ukraine: film director Roman
Balayan, Mher Mkhitarian, the Chairman of the "Poznyaki-Zhilstroy"
powerful construction corporation, Arsen Avagov, the Kharkov regional
administration head. He also emphasized that four Armenians were
deputies of the 4th convention of the Supreme Rada (parliament) of
Ukraine. O.Bozhko mentioned that the "Aragats" newspaper (enclosure
of the "Golos Ukraini" official newspaper of the Ukrainian Supreme
Rada) is published in Ukraine in the Armenian and Ukrainian languages,
the "Masyats Aghavni" periodical is published in Crimea, illustrated
"Haykakan Lraber" is published in Donbass. Besides, there are radio
and TV programs in Armenian. By financing of the state budget, Armenian
books are published in Ukraine, Sunday schools function, classes with
deep teaching of Armenian open. O.Bozhko stated that the Armenian
community very seriously arises the issue of creating the Armenian
University in Ukraine. "I consider it to be a very serious program, and
as of today, the Armenian community of Ukraine has all possibilities
for implementing it," the Ambassador stated. In O.Bozhko’s words,
a new Armenian church is built in Ukraine every year. Today they
function in Kiev, Lugansk, Dnepropetrovsk, Simferopol, Odessa and Lviv.
"So, one may say for sure, that today Armenians are a noticeable part
of the Ukrainian society as well as Ukrainians of the Armenian one,
though their number is not big," the Ambassador of Ukraine to the
RA said.