Political analyst: Banning the UOC will halt Ukraine's EU accession
Persecution of religious freedom in the context of the final stage of Ukraine's European integration is inappropriate, Haidai believes.
The head of the NGO "Intermarium Institute", which studies socio-political processes in Ukraine and the world, political analyst Valentyn Haidai, stated that the so-called bill "On Banning the UOC" has many shortcomings and disadvantages. He wrote about this on his Facebook page on July 4.
"While the overwhelming majority of countries have rallied around supporting Ukraine, as shown by the recent Peace Summit in Switzerland, the adoption of this bill may provoke the opposite reaction in most countries, especially European ones, as they may view it as a restriction of freedom of religion. And in the context of the final stage of Ukraine's European integration, this would be, to put it mildly, inappropriate," the statement reads.
According to Haidai, there are specific claims against certain clergy and laity of the UOC regarding their ties to Russia, denial of its aggression, and the like. However, it is senseless to ban the entire denomination because of this.
"Moreover, this could have negative effects for Ukraine and its international image," he underscored.
The political analyst cited Georgia as an example, where, according to him, ambiguous actions by the authorities, which many perceive as pro-Russian, have so far halted the country's path to EU membership.
"I do not think Ukraine wants to repeat Georgia's fate," he concluded.
As previously reported by the UOJ, Ukrainian MP Yevhen Shevchenko stated that the adoption of bill No. 8371 in the second reading would block Ukraine's joining the European Union.
