27 April 2017, Thursday, 17:42 112

MFA Concerned Over Pulling Down Of UPA Memorial In Poland

Редактор: Daria Zubkova

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is concerned over the fact of pulling down the memorial to fighters of Ukrayins'ka Povstans'ka Armiya (UPA, Ukrainian Rebel Army) at the cemetery near Hrushovychi village (Przemysl, Poland).

The MFA has said this in a statement, Ukrainian News Agency reports.

"Ukrainian authorities are concerned over the defiant and audacious actions against the Ukrainian memorial in Hrushovychi village near Przemysl. This is an open provocation ahead of the 70th anniversary of the Visla criminal operation with the obvious purpose to distract from this sad date," the statement reads.

The MFA also says that it is in the interest of both sides to settle the conflict on the ground of law in order to preclude similar incidents in the future.

The ministry plans to submit an official letter to Polish authorities demanding explanation and proposing further steps to protect by law all burials both in the territory of Poland and polish burials in the territory of Ukraine in order to provide a decent level of protection to such places at the governmental level in accordance with a bilateral Agreement on Preservation of Burials Made Since 1994.

According to the statement, an agreement has already been reached to hold bilateral consultations in Warsaw within the upcoming days with management of the State Interagency Commission on Commemoration of Antiterrorist Operation Participants, Victims of War and Political Repressions that is responsible for the implementation of the aforesaid bilateral agreement.

As Ukrainian News Agency earlier reported, Chairperson of the National Memory Institute Volodymyr Viatrovych had stated that, on April 26, some unknown pulled down the memorial to UPA fighters at the cemetery near Hrushovychi village (Przemysl, Poland).