Students of the Faculty of History, Political Science and International Relations of the Vasyl Stefanyk Carpathian National University took part in a meaningful and inspiring meeting with the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Ukraine to the Czech Republic Vasyl Zvarych.
A diplomat with over 25 years of experience working in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, who represented our country in Poland, the USA, Turkey, and the Czech Republic, shared with the students his professional vision of the key challenges for Ukrainian diplomacy in the context of the Russian-Ukrainian war.
Vasyl Zvarych spoke about the peculiarities of the work of Ukrainian representative offices abroad, gave examples from his practice, and outlined important guidelines that future international specialists should rely on.
One of the topics that aroused keen interest from the audience was the discussion of the situation of Ukrainians in the Czech Republic. The Ambassador emphasized that Ukrainian citizens temporarily residing in this country are mostly employed and pay taxes to the Czech budget, often in a much larger amount than they receive in the form of social support. He also drew attention to the fact that, while abroad, many Ukrainians increasingly notice the advantages and quality of the processes that are already working in Ukraine, and thanks to this, they begin to appreciate their homeland even more.
A separate part of the conversation was devoted to symbols of freedom. Vasyl Zvarych spoke about the recently installed Freedom Bell in Prague, near Charles Bridge, partly cast from the remains of Russian weapons. On it are engraved in Ukrainian, Czech and Norwegian the words from the Epistle to the Galatians: “Stand in freedom and do not submit again to the yoke of slavery.”
At the end of the meeting, the Ambassador called on students to responsibly approach their study time, use all opportunities for personal growth, improve their knowledge of the history of Ukraine, and draw conclusions from the past so as not to repeat fatal mistakes similar to those described by Panteleimon Kulish in “The Black Council.”
The event was an important opportunity for students to deepen their understanding of the diplomatic profession and receive valuable advice from one of the leading representatives of the Ukrainian diplomatic service.
