Sviatoslav Shevchuk: Poles should not think Ukrainians to be foreign nation

Sviatoslav Shevchuk. Photo: dyvensvit.org

Sviatoslav Shevchuk believes that the Poles should not perceive Ukrainians “as some kind of foreign nation” since both peoples “lived on the same territory for centuries”, reports the official resource of the UGCC.

“The Poles for Ukrainians are not some kind of distant foreigners, because we lived for centuries on the same territory. The Poles should think the same way that Ukrainians are not a kind of foreign nation,” Shevchuk believes. “In modern Poland, the Ukrainian community and people who have recently come to work live. We must be aware of this new reality because we support each other at least because the Polish economy has got workers, and Ukrainians have the opportunity to earn decent money and thereby get a better living”

Sviatoslav Shevchuk also noted that Ukrainians are especially beneficial for Poles in that they do not ask for state support but strive to earn money themselves, and, unlike other migrants, they can easily integrate into Polish society.

“Ukrainians have the ability to integrate relatively quickly in the country in which they live and want to fully participate in its life at every level,” said the head of the UGCC. –“Typically, migrants in Western countries, as a rule, become isolated in the ghetto and do not integrate, form their own parallel microworld and demand state protection. Ukrainians are trying to fully participate in public life and do not resort to state aid. So it is in Poland. They want to earn decent money and hope for a fair attitude. In this way, they contribute to the well-being of the country where they live.”

Earlier, Sviatoslav Shevchuk said that Ukraine will not die while the UGCC exists.

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