To investigate the attack on the building of Poland’s Consulate General in Lutsk, find the perpetrators and make a legal assessment of the incident – the “Ukrainian Patriots Association – UKROP” party calls on the Security Service to do it. The MPs from UKROP plan to announce the appropriate statement from the rostrum of Parliament this week. This was said by the MP from UKROP Iryna Konstankevych.
“I think this is the MPs’ duty to appeal to the Security Service, calling on to investigate the situation as soon as possible. UKROP underlines the need to carry out all necessary measures to prevent such incidents because they lead to irreversible consequences. Ukraine is in a difficult situation in international politics. Therefore, we should do everything in order to ensure the development of a good partnership between Ukraine and Poland,” she said.
Iryna Konstankevych is confident that this incident will affect the diplomatic relations between Poland and Ukraine.
“This act of sabotage has been front-page news of Polish newspapers, Polish Consulates have not worked for some time in other regions of our country, and many Poles have postponed their trips to Ukraine. In the context of these events there is no point in telling that relations between Poland and Ukraine will remain as friendly and warm as they were before. We should be realists. Shelling of the Polish Consulate will be one of the reasons for the decreased number of tourists in Volyn region,” said Iryna Konstankevych.
She has recalled that pre-conditions for deterioration of diplomatic relations between Ukraine and Poland were created last year.
“In 2016 there were some disturbing impulses proving that there is a third party that is interested in undermining friendly relations between our countries. It is no coincidence that the film “Volyn” was released, which is being actively discussed in Poland, and gathers full halls of spectators. Not coincidentally the members of the Polish Sejm have taken decisions that are unacceptable for us, as they are related to those traumatic pages of our history, which are still assessed ambiguously by the specialists, but have already been viewed through political perspective. While this political perspective, unfortunately, does not give us the opportunity to normally establish friendly relations,” said Iryna Konstankevych.
The UKROP member has noted that Poland was one of the first to support our country in the process of Ukraine’s integration into the European Union. Having developed strong programs of economic cooperation and introduced many investment programs. Many Ukrainian students are studying in Poland and many Ukrainians are working there. However, she has expressed hope that one of the largest cross-border cooperation programs – “Poland – Belarus – Ukraine” will not be reduced soon.
“Recently we have been in Kivertsi, where we took part in celebration of the 160th anniversary of the outstanding Polish writer Gabriela Zapolska. She was born in Volyn, in Kivertsi, and is buried in Lviv. The house where Gabriel lived is now being destroyed. There is no money for its reconstruction in district or regional council, and the funds also will now be allocated from the state budget. So we hope that we will attract Polish investors who are interested in revival of the ancestral estate of the Polish gentry with Volyn roots. The Poles, by the way, help to rebuild the church in Olytsi in Kivertsi district and implement other projects. We cannot destroy a fragile foundation of relations between Ukraine and Poland. On the contrary we should strengthen it in order to build a reliable structure for our common friendship,” summarized Iryna Konstankevych.
