Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry established cooperation with religious organizations

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine created Public Council for Cooperation with Religious Organizations.

The first (inaugural) meeting was held on 24 April 2015 with participation of the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Pavlo Klimkin, as reported by the Institute of Religious Freedom.

“In these times we feel support from churches, as well as the interaction and support of the faithful Ukrainian churches abroad. The Public Council will become a platform for discussion and cooperation where we can to listen to each other and implement together our ideas and suggestions,” said the Minister in his welcoming speech.

Pavlo Klimkin thanked the attending leaders and representatives of churches and religious organizations for their support and stressed the importance of church-state dialogue.

He suggested that such meetings were scheduled on a regular basis enabling to find answers to problems and identify areas for future cooperation through dialogue. Among them, the Minister has identified information and branding work abroad aimed at promotion of Ukraine, providing diverse assistance from foreign partners, protection of the rights of believers in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine.

Chairperson of the Council was elected head of the Institute for Religious Freedom Olexandr Zayets. A Foreign Ministry employee will perform secretary’s duties.

The Council will act as an advisory body established by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine to establish effective cooperation between the Ministry and the religious community, consulting  the public opinion in the formation and implementation of public policies, review, consulting and provide practical recommendations for addressing issues related to Ukrainian international activities of religious organizations.

The establishment of the Public Council was approved by Patriarch Filaret of the UOC-KP, Mufti of the Spiritual Directorate of Muslims of Ukraine Tamim Ahmed, Chairperson of the All-Ukrainian Council of Churches and Religious Organizations, head of the Church of Seventh Day Adventists Victor Aleksyeyenko and representatives of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, Ukrainian Orthodox Church, the Union of Jewish Religious Organizations of Ukraine.