Biography

H.E. Amb. Yuriy Sergeyev has served as the Permanent Representative of Ukraine to the United Nations since May 2007. Prior to this, H.E. Amb. Sergeyev served as Ambassador to France since 2003 and during this time, he was also Permanent Representative to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

Born in Leninakan, Armenia in 1956 to a Russian father and a Ukrainian mother, H.E. Amb. Sergeyev holds a doctorate from T. Shevchenko Kyiv State University. H.E. Amb. Sergeyev was Director of the Secretariat of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs from August to December 1994, then headed the Foreign Ministry’s Directorate for Information twice, first from late 1993 to mid-1994 then again from late 1994 to 1997. From 1997 to 2000. H.E. Amb. Sergeyev  was ambassador to Greece and Albania.

H.E. Amb Sergeyev is married.

“Lecture & Discussion”

A Lecture by H. E. Amb. Yuriy Sergeyev, Permanent Representative of Ukraine to the United Nations

I am not a singer. Simona Miculescu even when speaking, she is singing, you notice there’s a melody in what she is saying. Well, I am a dancer, but I will not dance today.

Last year it was an event dedicated to joint greetings to the Secretary General, so a group of us, we replicated the Korean horse dance, I was among the performers there. So, thank you for inviting me, to share with you my ideas on the topic “The bridges between America and the rest of the world.”

I will not cover all the angles of this topic that is vast. What I would like to start with, by emphasizing that cultural diplomacy is a powerful tool to achieve the very novel goals of diplomacy: mutual understanding and finding solutions to international issues, including those affecting many nations, countries and entire regions and subsequently the whole world. If anybody speaks Greek; this language gives an exact example that there is no big difference, between the culture and the politics. It sounds in Greek: politismos, politicis. The roots are the same: polis, polis means city; a city. Each ancient city in Greece, had its culture this culture brought to a specific polis of this city, that’s why my feeling and my absolute understanding, that the culture and the politics they have the same goals, either to destroy these goals or to achieve these goals.

When we are speaking about the United States, United States is a country of commerce, of descendants from different cultures, this is why this a mixture of cultures. For the last couple of decades, United States managed with the help of different ethnic groups, to trace its own culture specificity but at any rate, the United States remains as the unity of diversity - unity of diverse cultures. And I’m going to speak with you of one of these small bridges between United States and my country. This bridge was founded several centuries ago by the first Ukrainian descendants. I will speak about the role of the diaspora. Ukrainian diaspora, but it can apply to all the diasporas because I see the multi ethnicity of the presence here today so most probably you will have the same reflection and the same story I am going to share with you.

I will not give you big names in the Hollywood, because there are many big names of the descendants from Ukraine, not them personally but their parents or great grandparents, like Sylvester Stallone from Odessa, and many, many others. When we are speaking about Hollywood, you immediately see in front of you the faces from your own ethnic group and your cultures. This is what we have in combined and unified American culture. Ukraine is also a multinational country. Our multicultural Ukrainian Diaspora plays, whenever you are speaking about the Ukrainian Diaspora, It means Ukrainian ethnic group, Ukrainian Jews here, Ukrainian, Crimean Tatars and many others but mostly it means Ukrainian Ukrainians. Our multicultural Ukrainian Diaspora plays an invaluable role in the cultural diplomacy of the country, Ukraine is taking full advantage of the powerful cultural, scientific, social and creative capacity of Ukrainian Diaspora, which includes Ukrainian Jews, Tatars and other nationalities coming from Ukraine. So we have around 3 million, it’s not the biggest Diaspora, but a very strong one.

Throughout the complicated history of Ukraine the Diaspora always stood by and actively defended the ideas of Ukraine’s statehood and independence, particularly important was the work of the Ukrainian Diaspora here in the United States during the Soviet Period. It was Ukrainian Diaspora in the United States, who had taken on the task of preserving Ukraine’s cultural, religious, social and statehood traditions at this challenging time for Ukrainian identity. The United States hosted the Ukrainian government in exile, many Ukrainian activists were able to fulfill their potential, devoting their lives to working in the Diaspora structures throughout the world helping the international community get the right idea about Ukrainians and the Ukraine.

With the declaration of independency in 1991 the Ukrainian Diaspora in the United States became a connecting link between Washington and Kiev; between the democratic world and the young nation facing a difficult legacy of the soviet regime. The Ukrainian diaspora in the United States has provided invaluable assistance to Ukraine in the development of democratic states institutions and civil society. Furthermore it has rendered practical assistance in reforming and strengthening the social, medical, legal, youth and other sectors in Ukraine. It is difficult to overestimate the role of the Ukrainian diaspora in overcoming the consequences of the Chernobyl disaster. Since the restoration of Ukraine independence the diaspora has been a vodg-doge for civil rights and freedoms in Ukraine. And the development of free democratic institutions based of the rule of law. Diaspora actively opposed the autocracy in Ukraine during the 2004 Orange Revolution and the Revolution of Dignity in 2014. Diaspora is closely engaged in the process of peaceful settlement of the conflict at the territory of Ukraine and defining Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity in consolidating international support of Ukraine in this hour of complex tests.

The history of the Ukrainian diaspora in the United States dates back several centuries. Ukrainian-Americans are deeply integrated into American society. At the same time they have been able to retain their cultural and ethnic identity. In the United States there are Ukrainian orthodox and Ukrainians catholic churches and temples, cultural centers, museum, theatres, scientific societies. All of that is making a significant contribution to the development of the American and world culture. One of the key factors for the successful and fruitful existence of the Ukrainian diaspora in the United States is its high self organization. This is something that the Ukrainian diaspora could share with other countries, whose people reside abroad and face problems of preservation of identity. Not only has the Ukrainian diaspora managed to preserve its identity but also has helped Ukrainians in Ukraine restore the identity and recover from the consequences of the totalitarian soviet regime. Ukrainian diaspora in the United States are rendering assistance to other smaller groups of immigrants from Ukraine, primary Crimean Tatars, who owing to the foreign occupation of their homeland - Crimea - are again facing the threat or forced relocation and deportation. For the third time in their history Ukrainian diaspora helps temporary displaced Crimean Tatars find refuge in Ukraine and meet their domestic, social and other needs in the difficult situation. It is by the effort of the Ukrainian diaspora that the voice of Crimean Tatars has become noticeable, louder, here at the United States and the United Nations, permanent missions of Ukraine to the United Nations is honored to help contribute to this process.

In conclusion, to leave more time for questions and answers, I would like to underscore that cultural diplomacy is an indispensable means for finding a common language as the world of today is open and inter-dependent as it has never been before. I am convinced that the development and promotion of cultural diplomacy will provide invaluable assistance to the international community and civil society in building a harmonious future primarily in a comprehensive framework of the United Nations. Thank you, I am ready to answer your questions.