National security of the country and protection of national minorities

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National security of the country and protection of national minorities

Zoriana Hbur, PhD in Public Administration, Doctoral candidate,

National Academy for Public Administration under the President of Ukraine

Chief Specialist of the Ministry of Finance of Ukraine

Kiev, Ukraine

Abstract

Key words: Ukraine, national security, national minorities, legislation, institutional body, improvement.

Adnotacja

Bezpieczenstwo narodowe panstwa i ochrona mniejszosci narodowych

W artykule wyjasniono rol§ ochrony mniejszosci narodowychjako elementu zapewniajqcego bezpieczenstwo narodowe. Rozwaza si§ faktyczne kwestie poprawy ustawodawstwa krajowego w zakresie ochrony praw mniejszosci narodowych. Twierdzi si$, ze ustawodawstwo dotyczqce praw mniejszosci wymaga pilnej rewizji, ktora b^dzie spelniac glowne wyzwania wspolczesnego spoleczenstwa ukrainskiego i mi^dzynarodowych zobowiqzan prawnych panstwa. Argumentowano, ze odpowiednie przepisy instytucjonalne stanowiq jednq z priorytetowych kwestii. Rowniez autor teoretycznych zasad rozwoju w zakresie regulacji stanu etnokulturowego roznorodnosci sq regulacje dotyczqce rozwoju spolecznosci etnicznych, analiz etniczno-narodowych ludnosci Ukrainy, pod warunkiem, sugestie dotyczqce podejscia w stosunku do przezwyci^zenia kryzysu na wschodzie.

Sowa kluczowe: Ukraina, bezpieczenstwo narodowe, mniejszosci narodowe, ustawodawstwo, cialo instytucjonalne, poprawa.

Problem statement

The future of Ukraine directly depends on the ethno-national processes taking place in the state. Aggression on the part of the Russian Federation, modernization transformations, as well as the political course of the Ukrainian state leads to a comprehensive change in social relations, and national relations are the integral part of it and require the application of new approaches to regulation of ethnocultural diversity and ethno-national policy. As the Ukrainian experience has shown, the issue of protecting national minorities in Ukraine is an integral part of ensuring the national security of our state. Today, at the same time, the role of public administration as a science is strengthened, capable of comprehending and substantiating various ethnopolitical strategies that would contribute to the development of effective managerial decisions and technologies, the design of optimal models of ethno-national realities, which is a very topical subject for research.

Analysis of recent research and publications. The researches of the following scholars were devoted to the issue of protection of national minorities: O.Vasilchenko, Yu. Kuts, V. Lemak, T. Khalavka, N. Shipka and others. However, today there is a lack of comprehensive research conserning the role of national minorities protection as a component of national security, which led to the choice of the subject of this article.

The objective of the paper is to clarify the role of protecting national minorities as a component of national security.

Statement of main material

There are two interrelated and simultaneously contradictory trends in today's Ukrainian society. On the one hand, ethnocultural rebirth ("ethnic renaissance") continues as of titular ethnic group, as well as other ethnonational communities, which finds its embodiment in the self-organization of their life activity, growing interest in the history, culture of "their people", in "their" place in division of labor, participation in power structures and processes of public administration; on the other - the affirmation of the titular nation, ethnoethnic communities, ethnic groups as active subjects of the ethnopolitical processes of Ukrainian society, their integration into a political nation [2].

Ukraine is a state with a diverse social structure in which a wide range of ethnic, linguistic, religious and cultural identities has evolved over many centuries [13]. The young Ukrainian state, like other republics of the former USSR, had to solve the problems of ensuring the constitutional rights of national minorities, based on the international principle of continuity of human rights and nationalities rights, and selection of its own strategy of ethnopolitical development. This was due, firstly, to the complication of the ethnopolitical situation in new states; secondly, the launch of the process of the active inclusion of ethnic communities in the domestic and foreign policy of their countries; and thirdly, the need for reconciliation of interests, the establishment of equal relations between ethnic groups. In other words, Ukraine faced with the task of formulating the concept of state ethnic policy the utmost urgency, taking into account the lessons of the historical past, and international practice of solving ethnic problems [11].

The state should focus on ensuring the observance of the rights of persons belonging to minorities and exchange of advanced practices on measures to protect minorities from discrimination and social exclusion in accordance with European and international standards in order to create modern regulatory and legal framework. In addition, the goal should be to develop close co-operation between authorities and representatives of minority groups and cooperation on combating intolerance and crime through intolerance. Accordingly, in the 21st century, when the world community has a centuries-long experience of wars and reconciliation, as well as unsustainable development, not least in the direction of humanity, evidenced by the evolution and improvement of international

31 humanitarian law and shift of emphasis to the protection of life and individual health, selective approach and double standards in protecting the rights of national minorities are inadmissible. Rights violation of national minorities and neglect of them often cause serious complications, and sometimes lead to tragic consequences [9]. [11]. ukrainian ethnocultural national protection

T. Khalovka quite rightly suggests grouping legislation establishing the rights of ethnic communities in Ukraine according to the principle of the subjectivity of its adoption or development. Based on this, legislative acts are divided into two groups [10]:

- regulatory acts and recommendations of international structures regulating the rights of ethnic communities (United Nations (UN) and PACE resolutions, as well as recommendations of the OSCE). From the basic UN documents in this area, two declarations were accepted: "Declaration of Principles of Tolerance" and "Declaration on the Rights of Persons Belonging to National or Ethnic, Religious and Linguistic Minorities". Ukraine has also ratified two important European legislative documents: the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities (Law of Ukraine "On Ratification of the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities" was adopted on December 9, 1997) and the "European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages" (Law of Ukraine "On Ratification of the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages" dated May 15, 2003);

- Ukrainian legislation and local legal acts regulating the rights of national minorities (the Constitution of Ukraine (1996), the laws of Ukraine "On Languages in the Ukrainian SSR" (1989), "On National Minorities in Ukraine" (1992)); The Declaration of the Rights of National Minorities of Ukraine (1991) and other laws regulating the rights of ethnic groups in the educational, cultural and political spheres of life). This group also includes local regulations in the area of ensuring the rights of ethnonational minorities adopted by local selfgovernment bodies.

Thus, enacted Law of Ukraine "On National Minorities" (1992) at the beginning of the birth of our state, of course, was on time and met some of the basic requirements of society at that time. Of course, mostly, its provisions strengthen the status of representatives of national minorities (they are citizens of the republic, as well as Ukrainians by origin and birth) and number of guarantees are provided (Ukraine guarantees citizens of the republic, regardless of their national origin, equal political, social, economic and cultural rights and freedoms, supports the development of national self-awareness and self-expression. All citizens of Ukraine enjoy the protection of the state on equal footing. By securing the rights of persons belonging to national minorities, the state proceeds from the fact that they are an integral part of universally recognized human rights). Yes, in fact, this law defines the basic principles of ethno-na- tional policy in Ukraine. Its main objective is to protect the rights of national minorities in Ukraine and identify specific measures that, with the relevant initiatives of local authorities and associations of citizens representing the interests of persons from national minorities,

32 should aim at the protection and development of distinct cultures of national minorities, the provision of maximum opportunities for creating equal conditions for any nationalities that historically reside in Ukraine [1].

Nowadays, however, this Law is obsolete, it does not meet the current challenges faced by Ukraine (armed aggression of the Russian Federation, the occupation of the Crimea and parts of the south-eastern regions of Ukraine by the latter), and needs conceptual and functional improvement. In addition, this special Law does not contain a significant number of important provisions that significantly affect the practical feasibility of minorities' rights [1].

The need for such improvement was indicated according to recommendations of the international institutions in which Ukraine is the participant. In particular, the final comments by the UN Committee on Human Rights from November 12, 2001 to the fifth periodic report of Ukraine on the improvement of the obligations to implement the provisions of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which emphasize the need to amend the cornerstone of a special law - the concept of "national minorities"; Resolution of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe ResCMN (2003) 5 [9] "On Implementation of the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities by Ukraine", approved on the basis of the conclusions of the Advisory Committee of the Council of Europe on monitoring the implementation of the provisions and implementation of the obligations of this Convention [9] .

Among the recent appeals for the current legislation on the protection of national minorities to be changed, it is worth mentioning the fact of such a necessity, which most recently came from the High Commissioner of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe on national minorities, A. Tors, who said that it is important to involve as many parties as possible in defining the policy and also take into account the position of national minorities by the political process in Ukraine [6].

Thus, analyzing the edition of the Special Law on National Minorities of 1992, the Venice Commission noted: "Adoption of this bill will start the renewed approach to relations with national minorities, will give impetus to the initiatives of Ukrainian citizens from national minorities and will stimulate initiatives for the development of national cultures, education, traditions and industry crafts [1].

The draft law states that the state has a great interest in improving relations with national minorities, each of which has left its mark in the history of mankind and has strong and deep bonds with Ukraine "[12]. The Commission recommended introducing such concepts as "representative of national minority" - a citizen of Ukraine who recognizes his or her affiliation with a national minority and/or expresses the desire to preserve its national identity, as well as "territory of compact residence" - certain territorial-administrative entity within which a national minority resides and has the opportunity to exercise the rights provided for by this Law and other normative legal acts of Ukraine [1].

In general, the conclusions were mostly positive: "According to the Constitution of Ukraine, this bill considers all ethnic (ethnic) minorities who historically live on the territory of Ukraine, an integral part of the Ukrainian people. In addition, it mentions economic, political and cultural means to meet the needs of national minorities in Ukraine [12]. However, this does not change the fact that at the time of the entry into force of the said Law, the Constitution has not yet been adopted in Ukraine. By the way, this circumstance has led to a number of terminological problems: for example, the preamble of the Constitution contains the formula: "Ukrainian people" as a category includes "the citizens of Ukraine of all nationalities", but also refers to the "Ukrainian nation", which, along with "the entire Ukrainian people " made the right to selfdetermination.

In addition to the above, the Law of Ukraine "On National Minorities in Ukraine" in its conceptual approaches is largely inconsistent with the international obligations of Ukraine in this area [3].

1. Legal relationships related to the rights of national minorities should be linked to a person's volitional identity for belonging to a national minority. Such a requirement is contained in Article 3 of the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities (Strasbourg, 1 February 1995), ratified on 9 December 1997 [8]. Let us confirm again - speaking of personal willingness concerning self-identity of particular citizen of Ukraine with a certain national minority. On the contrary, the Law of Ukraine "On National Minorities" refers specifically to the "groups of Ukrainian citizens".

2. An even more important circumstance is connected with the conceptual approach contained in the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities. Part Two of Article 4 of this document stipulates: "The Parties undertake to take appropriate measures, if necessary, in order to achieve full and genuine equality between persons belonging to a national minority and persons in all spheres of economic, social, political and cultural life and persons belonging to the majority of the population. In this regard, they duly take into account the specific situation of persons belonging to national minorities. "Interpretation of this provision of the Convention makes it possible to assert that Ukraine being its party has not only committed itself to prohibiting discrimination on grounds of belonging to a national minority and ensuring equality before the law. Ukraine also undertook to take measures to achieve "full and genuine equality between persons belonging to a national minority and persons belonging to the majority of the population" in various areas (employment and access to higher education, and participation in the management of public affairs).

3. Ukraine's international commitments include “encouraging the atmosphere of tolerance and intercultural dialogue and taking effective measures to deepen mutual respect, mutual understanding and cooperation among all persons living within its territory, regardless of their ethnic, cultural, linguistic or religious identity, in particular in the areas of education, culture and the media” (Article 6 of the Convention). The idea of tolerance and intercultural dialogue is central to developing standards for the consolidation of the rights of national minorities.

One of the main problems of ethno-national policy in Ukraine is the national-cultural development of representatives of the Russian national minority, which in Soviet times increased in the state from 9.2% in 1926 to 21.2% in 1989, and although it decreased in 2001 to 17.3%, but it is quite influential both quantitatively and economically and politically ethno-national group, and, especially, propagandist-populist on the part of the aggressor - the Russian Federation. Despite all propaganda speculation, the rights of Russians in Ukraine are not violated: their children have the opportunity to study at schools in their native language, they do not lack the Russian-language press, in cities, with the exception of the western regions (which is historically predetermined by the nature of the resettlement of Russians), at home, and often in the official levels are heard in Russian. At the same time, it served as a basis for large-scale aggression on the part of Russia, attempts to keep Ukraine in a state under the control of Russia.

The Russian problem is the issue of the northern neighbor, the problem of relations of Ukraine with Russia as a state, from which territorial, economic, political and other claims occur. The imperial intentions of such a policy are aimed at destabilizing interethnic relations on the territory of Ukraine. The northern neighbor does not desire the return of ethnic Russians to their territory, as evidenced, for example, by military actions in some districts of Donetsk and Lugansk regions. "The policy of Russia in this area enables forecasting, - G. Mace wrote in 1995 - that Russians in Ukraine assigned the role of the fifth column, which can be scrambled to destroy the statehood of Ukraine" [4, p. 90]. Will the Russian minority agree on such a role in Ukraine, for the most part this will be determined not in the sphere of politics or culture, but, in fact, due to the state of the Ukrainian economy. Increasing the standard of living in the country will automatically lead to a relaxation of separatist sentiments from the Russian-speaking population.

Jews occupy the third place in amount of population after the Ukrainians and Russians is the national group in Ukraine. There is a tendency to decrease this group. So, in 1979, they lived in the country 634.2 thousand people, and by the mid-90's - 486 thousand. The latest ideologies of anti-Semitic sentiments in Ukrainian society - this is a charge to the Jews for their blame in the tragedies of the Ukrainian people: the NKVD repressions, the organization and implementation of the Holodomor, Russification; negation of Jewish tragedies:

Holocaust, Jewish pogroms in Ukraine, or accusations of Jews in provoking these events; the theory of geopolitical power of Jews, Jewish capital and the press conducting anti-Ukrainian propaganda on behalf of the USA, the world's financial circles; the hatred of capitalization, which the lumpenized part of Ukrainian society perceives as a new form of the desire of Jews to exploit the Ukrainian people; allegations of "theft" of the wealth of Ukraine [5].

According to the Jewish community, anti-Semitic attitudes are currently spreading in Ukrainian society, but they do not become massive. About 8% of the population does not desire the Jews to be Ukrainian citizens, a similar indicator for Gypsies - 23%, Crimean Tatars - 12%, Georgians - 16% [7]. The level of support for xenophobic ideas is characterized by the percentage of representatives of the extreme right-wing political forces in the governing bodies and authorities, regarding which the state exercises influence, but not effective enough.

National groups in Ukraine, the process of incorporation which began in the early 1990's, are united into republican, district and regional societies. According to national legislation, public administration thus provides support for ethno-cultural diversity, protects the rights of national groups within the limits of law, but if they defend their territorial integrity and sovereignty of the country. Ethnic groups often operate in the form of associations, cultural centers, associations of fellowcountrymen, communities, clubs, etc. [2].

However, national-cultural autonomy may not always satisfy those national minorities that are dispersed. Tolerance of Ukrainians, their predominantly benevolent attitude to the foreign nationality during the times of the Ukrainian People's Republic, created another form of self-determination of ethnic communities and ethno-cultural identification - national-personal autonomy.

Conclusions

Thus, as of today the issue of protection of national minorities in Ukraine is very important, since the effectiveness of ensuring the national security of our country depends on it. Public authorities have a sufficient regulatory and legal framework, rich historical experience, including domestic concerning the effective protection of the rights of national minorities, whose efficiency will increase anti-separatist tendencies in society, will provide evident basis for the residents of the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine, reasonableness of the political course of the state.

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