KIEV, September 1 (Itar-Tass) —— The development of regional languages in Ukraine at the expense of the official language is impermissible, Vladimir Litvin, speaker of the Supreme Rada (parliament) of Ukraine, said during his working trip to the Zhitomir Region on Thursday. “I support the need for the development of regional languages, the languages of national minorities, but not at the expense of the Ukrainian language. Some of the provisions of the law ‘On the fundamentals of the national policy in the sphere of languages’ create a threat for the Ukrainian language,” Litvin stressed, according to the parliamentary press service.
Litvin opposed categorically the creation of an official two-language system in Ukraine. “How will it be put into effect? Such a system may disrupt common educational space in Ukraine,” he said. Litvin believes that the draft law “On the fundamentals of the national policy in the sphere of languages”, registered in the Supreme Rada for consideration, which was submitted by MPs from the Party of Regions, creates a threat in the sphere of languages and politics. It preserves the constitutional official status of the Ukrainian language. At the same time, it guarantees a free use of regional languages on the Ukrainian territory. This provision will be valid for the languages, which are native for no less than 10 per cent of the people living in that region, in accordance with the census.