The German minority in Ukraine is not under any threat, says the German Commissioner for Matters Related to Ethnic German Resettlers and National Minorities, Hartmut Koschyk MP, as reported on the Ukrainian language Deutsche Welle website on March 30.
Germany specifically denies the recent statement by Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov that “Hungarians, Czechs and Germans are complaining to their governments that they find it uncomfortable to live in Ukraine.”
In response to these accusations from Moscow, the German embassy in Ukraine has issued a statement pointing out that the German minority in Ukraine is well integrated into Ukrainian society and is not under any threat. In a report issued after his visit to Kyiv during March 23-24, Koschyk, who is also a deputy in the Bundestag, stated that the “German minority is on its way to effective participation in the construction of the new Ukrainian state.”
Koschyk emphasized that the aim of German policy is for “the German minority in Ukraine with its identity and history to have self-government,” and the “opportunity to continue to represent its interests in the state and society.” As the embassy noted, an authorized representative from the Federal Republic of Germany regularly visits Ukraine.
Furthermore, the leading organization of the German minority — The Council of Germans of Ukraine — also recently expressed its views on the matter. In a statement released on March 15, the day before the Crimean “referendum,” the Council confirmed its support for the integrity and unity of Ukraine, demanded that the Russian government immediately cease its military intervention in Crimea, and urged all ethnic Germans on the peninsula to boycott the “referendum.”
Source: http://www.dw.de/німеччина-спростовує-твердження-росії-про-загрозу-німцям-в-україні/a-17531043
