A two-day training for party members and local deputies from European Solidarity took place in Rivne. The event was organized with the assistance of a long-time international partner, the Konrad Adenauer Foundation.
Vasyl Mykhailyshyn, Project Coordinator for the Konrad Adenauer Foundation in Ukraine, stressed that stabilizing Ukraine’s party system has been one of the Foundation’s key tasks for many years.
“The cooperation of the Konrad Adenauer Foundation with European Solidarity is not a one-way street. The European Solidarity has experience of being in opposition. Therefore, this experience is as important for our German partners as the experience of building a party structure for Euro solidarity party members,” Vasyl Mykhailyshyn said.
Vitaliy Haidukevych, head of the Rivne territorial organization of the European Solidarity party, stressed that the party is the main opposition political force in Ukraine. Vitaliy Haidukevych noted that the seminar is important for understanding areas for growth and an adequate assessment of the party’s own strengths and capabilities, as well as the development of powerful and effective mechanisms for party building.
MP Yana Zinkevych reminded that European Solidarity in Rivne region was completely renewed before the last elections.
“Many young, powerful, talented people came to us. Still, I must admit that we still lack some stability, knowledge and experience, because only a year and a half has passed since the election. And very soon we will have an even more serious struggle, because the parliamentary elections are coming soon. That is why we must work hard at all levels. We have gathered here to study. We need to adopt successful experience, become better and stronger,” Yana Zinkevych stressed.
Welcoming the participants of the event, People’s Deputy of Ukraine Mykola Kniazhytskyi stressed that it is important for politicians to think strategically and plan their work in advance for more than one year.
“It isn’t just about controlling a constituency and having the resources and opportunities to do the necessary things. Therefore, I would like to emphasize once again the importance of strategic planning and I urge each of you to give priority not to one-time benefits, but to future prospects, “he said.
Serhiy Taran, a member of the European Solidarity faction of the Kyiv City Council, stressed: “We must understand that the country is facing challenges, where a low level of support for the government is a challenge to national security. Imagine that tomorrow war breaks out, and with the confidence of the army, its power is very low. This is a very dangerous story”.
During the seminar, participants learned how to work with the media and social networks, learned the basics of conservative ideology, party building, and conflict resolution.
Summing up the results of two days of work, Vitaliy Haidukevych stressed that there are no simple solutions in Ukraine for building ideological parties. “We give our thanks to the Foundation, Konrad Adenauer for helping us to improve party activities. By the way, Adenauer once remarked – the essence of politics is not to be right, but the strength to stay right. And it is extremely important for us to stay right and determined. Modern Ukrainian conservatism has all the possibilities to develop the state in an evolutionary and qualitative way. It’s up to us to learn how to develop and use these opportunities, “he said.