Last week Den/The Day’s editor in chief Larysa Ivshyna launched the newspaper’s Library Series at the Diplomatic Academy under the aegis of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine. It was the editors’ first meeting with future diplomats and their teachers. The readers’ conference gathered over a hundred persons in the academy’s elegant hall. It was an apt opportunity to become personally acquainted with students and lecturers, although most of those present had long become regular readers. Ex-Foreign Minister Hennadii Udovenko, who is also a member of the Supervisory Board, admitted that he makes so many clippings from each issue, there is hardly anything left. In fact, that was how an archive of them turned into a kind of multivolume textbook on latter-day Ukrainian history which he handed over to the academy’s reference library.
At the start of the conference Rector Borys Humeniuk (the conference was his initiative) noted that the students and the teaching staff have never held any discussions with Den’/The Day, but that they hope that such exchanges of ideas will become an intellectual tradition that will benefit the editors and the academy.
The Diplomatic Academy of Ukraine was founded in 1995 and it enrolls graduates of institutions of higher learning, training them for Ukraine’s diplomatic missions and other agencies abroad. Since its inception, the academy has graduated some 500 qualified diplomats. Conference participants said that for the graduates who are currently posted to various countries Den’ and the English digest The Day serve as a window on Europe.
“It is very important to have an English version of a Ukrainian newspaper displayed on a newsstand abroad,” stressed ex-Foreign Minister Anatolii Zlenko.
Cooperation between Den’ and the Diplomatic Academy was an idea conceived a long time ago. Why do the editors attach such importance to this dialog? Undoubtedly, to worthily represent their country abroad, Ukrainians must first have a clear-cut concept of their national identity, history, and last but not least, their genetic belonging to the European family of nations.
The only way is by “re-reading” history. It is no longer necessary to prove that the books of Den’s Library Series offer this opportunity and substantiate new concepts of historical events; that this is very important for Ukraine’s domestic and foreign policies.
“We will not be able to explain ourselves to the world until we can understand ourselves. True competition on the world arena is not for oil or gas, but for a given country’s place in the world’s collective memory,” Larysa Ivshyna noted during the readers’ roundtable.
Indeed, for diplomats who have to operate in a different sociopolitical, cultural, and language environment, being able to adequately convey their country’s image and priority values is of the utmost importance. The diplomatic sector is thus one of Ukraine’s major image-building factors. The Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Ukraine Yurii Shcherbak pointed out that Den’ has found its “ecological niche” in the Diplomatic Academy. Ivshyna said that maintaining contacts with such a highly qualified community means above all stepping up efforts to improve the quality of the newspaper’s features and articles: “Due to certain reasons, including the crisis of our higher school, journalists often fail to grasp and explain the complexity of a given problem the way experts can, so we highly value our expert community. We regard today’s roundtable as an addition to Den’s Experts Club.”
Den’s next university roundtable is scheduled for Feb. 10, at the Palace of Art of the Kyiv Polytechnic Institute National University. The editor in chief will meet with students and launch the 10th newspaper’s photo exhibit at the Polytechnic Institute.
Yurii Shcherbak, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Ukraine:
“I am pleased to see young people here who have worked with me at various embassies. They are now students of the Diplomatic Academy. Here they will learn and polish their skill. Den’ has found its ecological niche in this academy, its atmosphere where its materials must be addressed in the first place. Den’s intensive and quality information is probably the only source for our diplomats. Ukraine is currently on an information hunger diet. This is especially true of the way in which Ukrainian television channels are covering international events. How much do we know about what is happening in Poland? Interesting processes are underway in Azerbaijan. Kazakhstan turns out to be ‘closed,’ it is unable to freely sell oil and gas. We are not in the habit of pondering such things because of the primitive level of Ukrainian journalism.
“Whereas diplomats ex officio have to hold back the truth about some aspects of the international process, people who are not in the civil service (there are many on the Diplomatic Academy’s staff) can share a lot of interesting and useful information with the readers. This is what we need. The post-Cold-War period is nearing its end and a new stage in the development of this world is starting. The whole Ukrainian society must think of Ukraine’s place in this new world order. Very much depends on unity.
“The Diplomatic Academy is a huge think tank made up of professionals who can elaborate on these subjects on the pages of the Den’.”
Yaroslav POZNIAK, first year student, Diplomatic Academy of Ukraine:
“Intellect plays the main role in enhancing a country’s or nation’s competitiveness. If this intellect is on a high level, the country’s economic life will be competitive in conditions of world politics and as a member of the international community. The Ukrainian state must constantly raise rather than lose the level we have; this must be done with the aid of young people who are actually building this state, who are interested in this country being a competitive member of the world community of nations. Den’ has always taken a progressive stand and setting up the Library Series was another progressive step the editors took. This newspaper analyzes the past, lest we repeat mistakes in the present and future. It reflects current stands, so it is important to preserve its masterpieces for the generations to come.”
Anna SERVATYNSKA, first year student, DAU:
“Today I have heard what confirms my opinion that Ukraine’s competitiveness depends on the people. The economy and politics do not necessarily determine a country’s position on the world arena. Competitiveness on the level of man, culture, spirituality — such is the key to international recognition. When Ukraine becomes known all over the world, when everybody knows where it is located and what it is all about, then and only then we will be able to discuss progress in all spheres, partnership, and cooperation — above all, when our country receives recognition and respect.
Oleksandr POLTARATSKY, associate professor, Chair of European and Euro-Atlantic Policy, DAU:
“Let me point out in the first place that the newspaper Den’ has remained with me all my adult years. There is no overstatement in my saying that one-fifth of my candidate-of-sciences dissertation consists of references to Den’.
“Now about this roundtable’s agenda. Ukrainian national independence will exist for as long as Ukraine continues building a stable system of national security guarantees, for as long as we feel protected in the military or non-military sense.
“If we build our own powerful nation with adequate resources and defenses, we will become competitive. Regrettably, as a Ukrainian patriot, I have to admit that we still have a very long way to go. There is the problem of political power and this is also a problem for the people who elect it.”
