UKRAINE-LYTVYN-LANGUAGE-RESIGNATION

Kyiv, July 6 (Interfax-Ukraine) – Verkhovna Rada Chairman Volodymyr Lytvyn has said that his intention to resign is direct connected with further fate of the bill on the principles of state language policy, which was passed by the parliament on July 3.

“It [the resignation] will be directly connected with the development of the situation of the language issue,” Lytvyn said in an interview with the Rada Channel on Friday.

As reported, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine passed the bill on the principles of state language policy initiated by the Regions Party on July 3. The document significantly expands the sphere of use of Russian and languages of other national minorities in the regions where they are used by at least 10% of population.

The opposition claimed that the document was passed with multiple violations.

On the next day after the vote, Verkhovna Rada Chairman Volodymyr Lytvyn and his deputy Mykola Tomenko resigned.

Lytvyn said that he was absent from the vote on the language bill, as he had a meeting with the president at that time.

“I was deceived, Ukraine was deceived, the people were deceived,” he said.

“A former friend of mine, with whom I used to break bread, has betrayed me. Absolutely,” Lytvyn said pointing at his first deputy, Adam Martyniuk.

The voting card of Tomenko was also used to vote for the language bill, although Tomenko was absent from the hall during the vote.

[UA EUROPE EEU EMRG POL]

ZA

14:12:09 EET-2