During two weeks, starting from June 2, in Ukraine is holding the 31-st Consulting meeting of Participants of the Antarctic Agreement. (CMAA). About 400 representatives from 47 countries discuss and resolve the most important questions of cultivating and preserving the Antarctic. The holding of the Consulting meeting coincided with the III International polar year that happens once in 50 years, and the next year the world will celebrate the 50-th anniversary of the Antarctic Agreement. The holding of the CMAA on the territory of Ukraine is a great honor and responsibility for the young country. Our country has a great chance to deservingly represent its science, technical and cultural potential.
Having a speech on the briefing, dedicated to this significant event, the deputy of the Minister of education and science of Ukraine Maksym Strikha mentioned:
- Ukraine has a great status on the Consulting meeting. It is not a coincidence, that it is holding exactly in Kyiv this year. According to the set proposal, it is lead by the representative of Ukrainian diplomacy and science – the academician of NASU Serhiy Komisarenko; the Ukrainia delegation on the meeting is represented by the famous Ukrainian scientist, the director of the Institute of geology of NASU – academician Petro Gozhyk.
The step, taken 10 years ago, when Ukraine took from Great Britain the Antarctic station Faraday, that is now called “Academician Vernadsky”, has come true. I must remind, that its initiators were the former ambassador of Ukraine in Great Britain Serhiy Komisarenko and the director of the Institute of geology of NASU, the academician Petro Gozhyk, that performed al the essential work. Today, the station has the 13-th Ukrainian Antarctic expedition, and the results, obtained by the native scientists in the Antarctic – became the basis for many science works.
I’m very glad to admit, that in this country such researches are performed fist of all by the National Antarctic science center, lead by Valery Lytvynov, and moreover, the public is also involved in the research process. From the initiative of Ukrainian science club, and with the support of Ministry of education and science of Ukraine, there was recently held an International conference: “Ukraine in the Antarctic: nationality, priorities and the global integration.”, with the participation of the lading scientists. I’m sure, that the Antarctic researches in Ukraine have a great future.
We are happy to be in Ukraine, because it is one of the few countries, that recently, only four years ago has joined to the Antarctic Agreement, and already offers its services and opportunities for making such an event possible. Ukraine already has the smart and comprehensive program of science researches in Antarctic. And mostly it is performed on the Ukrainian Antarctic station “Academician Vernadsky.”
Kateryna Balabuyeva
Українська редакція
