A Transcarpathian separatist priest requested the support of the President of the Czech Republic
In early September, President of the Czech Republic Miloš Zeman received a delegation of seven in Prague Castle, who claimed to "represent the interests of the Ruthenians seeking their autonomy in Ukraine."
"European Truth" reports while referring to Radio Praha.
The reception was symbolically timed to the centennial of the signing of the Saint-Germain Treaty: on September 10, 1919, this international agreement attested to the accession of Subcarpathian Ruthenia to Czechoslovakia - now the territory of Transcarpathia.
The President of the Czech Republic has agreed to act as a "mediator between Kyiv and the Transcarpathian Ruthenians", who claim to require their official recognition as a separate people as well as autonomous status for their territory. Miloš Zeman promised to discuss this issue with the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky. At the same time, the President emphasized that the change in the system of centralization is solely an internal matter of Ukraine.
While answering questions for the Deník N newspaper, Ambassador of Ukraine to the Czech Republic Yevhen Perebyinis said that the activists speaking on behalf of the Ruthenians "strive for the good of their culture and language as much as they do for further destabilization of our country, that already has to fight the pro-Russian separatists’ aggression on the eastern front."
"The Ruthenian question is not an issue of nationality. It is a political project that the Kremlin largely supports, promotes and finances to destabilize the situation in Ukraine, especially in Transcarpathia," the diplomat said. The head of the Ukrainian diplomatic mission refused to comment on the meeting between the Ruthenian delegation and the President of the Czech Republic.
The delegation included a priest of the UOC MP Dmytro Sydor, who was earlier given a suspended sentence for encroaching upon the territorial integrity of Ukraine. The media reported that Sydor's activities are funded by the Kremlin to destabilize the situation in Transcarpathia.
The group that arrived in Prague Castle included Mykhailo Tiasko and Vasyl Dzugan - entrepreneurs who have long lived in the Czech Republic and have maintained close contacts with the President of the country. Both businessmen were part of Miloš Zeman's election headquarters and accompanied him on a trip to Russia.
Mykhailo Tiasko, who was introduced as the deputy chairman of the World Council of the Subcarpathian Ruthenians, said: "We told the President about the problems in Subcarpathian Ruthenia and that the Ukrainian authorities still do not recognize Ruthenians, do not respect our language and culture. According to Mr. President, only the Minsk Peace Accords can resolve our problems, while decentralization will allow recognizing the Ruthenians in Transcarpathia as a people and our language as regional with Ukrainian as the state one. The President promised to talk with Mr. Zelensky and pass our opinion along to the management of Ukraine."
Press Secretary of the President Jiri Ovcachek commented on the outcome of the meeting: "Mr. President emphasized that he fully supports the territorial integrity of Ukraine. His words only attest to the ideas of the Minsk Agreements. The centralization change, while allowed by the protocol, is exclusively an internal matter of Ukraine and the President will not interfere with it."
The delegation also included Tatiana Pop. Last year, she claimed that the Czech government led by Prime Minister Andrei Babish is ready to support the Ruthenians. "He told me that his mother was a Ruthenian herself, and therefore he simply had no right to dislike and disrespect Ruthenians," Pop said. Prime Minister denied her allegations. "This lady is lying. I don't know her, and the government, of course, will do nothing of the sort," Babish commented.
Ovchachek does not deny that the Ruthenian issue may emerge in the negotiation process between the leaders of the Czech Republic and Ukraine: "Since the Czech Republic is historically linked to the Ruthenians, this issue is bound to be raised while meeting with President Zelensky."
