Oleksandr Tkachenko appointed Minister of Culture and Information Policy

On June 4, 2020, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine supported the appointment of Oleksandr Tkachenko as Minister of Culture and Information Policy. The resolution on his appointment was voted by a shortened procedure (MPs did not have the opportunity to ask questions to the candidate) and 263 MPs supported it.

Among the priorities and challenges for the position, Tkachenko names the following: to restore and intensify the financing of culture and creative industries, complete the restructuring of the Ministry, form agencies and conduct an audit.

Also, he believes that it is worth sending UAH 3-4 billion to support culture and tourism.

On the eve of his election, Oleksandr Tkachenko at a briefing announced his intention to hold consultations on language, religion, history, and so on as Minister of Culture.

"I think that we will return to the discussion that we timed to the coronavirus regarding inviting scientists to talk about sensitive issues that face society — language, religion, history, and so on. And only after such a professional discussion can we take any concrete steps," Tkachenko said at the time.

Commenting on the position of the Venice Commission on Ukrainian legislation, the MP noted that "we are talking about the adoption of the law on national minorities and within the framework of this law, we need to look for things that unite society rather than divide it."