President Signed Law of Ukraine On the Foundations of Domestic and Foreign Policy

KYIV – President Viktor Yanukovych signed the Law of Ukraine On the Foundations of Domestic and Foreign Policy, passed by the Supreme Council of Ukraine on July 1, 2010, on the initiative of the head of the state. The presidential press service reported this on July 15.

The law defines the main foundations of domestic as well as foreign policy of the state. The foundations of domestic policy are defined by in the law in the spheres of building statehood, developing the local self-government, and stimulating the development of the regions, forming institutes of civil society, national safety and protection in the economic, social, and humanitarian spheres, in the ecological sphere and sphere of technological safety. The law defines the mechanisms of securing the introduction of the foundations of domestic and foreign policy. This law foresees the non-aligned status of Ukraine.

Two articles of this law concern the revival of spiritual values of the Ukrainian people and creating conditions to develop the religious originality of the citizens of Ukraine of all nationalities, guaranteeing the freedom of conscience and religion.

Article 10 of the law defines the foundations of domestic policy in the humanitarian sphere. In particular, this includes the revival of the spiritual values of the Ukrainian people, the protection and expansion of its cultural acquisition, the preservation of the national cultural heritage, support for the development of culture and art, the revival and preservation of the cultural originality of the regions, the guarantee of freedom of conscience and religion:

protecting, modernizing, and developing the national cultural industry (book publishing, film making, art);

creating the conditions to consolidate the society on the basis of the national system of spiritual values, which is centered around a person, her development, her rights and freedoms, and the fullest guarantee of her needs;

renewing the full-fledged dialogue between representatives of various social and ethnic groups, cultures, and religious denominations;

providing the conditions to form a tolerant society, guaranteeing the freedom of conscience and religion;

reviving the spiritual values of the Ukrainian people, protecting and expanding its cultural acquisition, preserving the national cultural heritage, supporting the development of culture and art, renewing and protecting the cultural originality of the regions;

guaranteeing the freedom of the press and the unobstructed access of the citizens to information, creating conditions to develop information technology and information society, wide integration and access of the citizens to the worldwide information space;

creating суспільного мовлення та надання of state support національному інформаційному продукту, здійснення means to protect the national information space;

On creating favorable foreign political conditions for developing the Ukrainian nation and the religious originality of the citizens of Ukraine of all nationalities йдеться in Article 11, which defines the foundations of foreign policy:

1. Ukraine as a European non-aligned state engages in open foreign policy and attempts to cooperation with all interested partners, avoiding dependence on individual states, groups of states, or international structures.

2. The main foundations of the foreign policy are:

securing the national interests and safety of Ukraine by supporting peaceful and mutually beneficial cooperation with members of international associations according to the generally accepted principles and norms of international law;

guaranteeing by diplomatic and other means and methods, required by international law, the protection of the sovereignty, territorial integrity and the inviolability of the state borders of Ukraine, its political, economic, energy power, and other interests;

using the international potential for establishing and developing Ukraine as a sovereign, independent, democratic, and social, and lawful state, its stable economic development;

creating favorable foreign political conditions for developing the Ukrainian nation, its economic potential, historical conscience, national dignity of Ukrainians, as well as the ethnic, cultural, linguistic, and religious originality of the citizens of Ukraine of all nationalities;

consolidating a prominent place for Ukraine in international relations, strengthening the international authority of the state;

The Supreme Council of Ukraine, the President of Ukraine, the Council of National Safety and Defense of Ukraine, the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine, and other bodies of state authority in the limits/measures of their power, defined in the Constitution and Laws of Ukraine, are responsible for ensuring the that foundations of domestic and foreign policy are followed.