INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS STUDENTS AND FUTURE DIPLOMATS VISIT KYIV
Glory to Ukraine! Exactly with these words, the students of “International Relations” specialty were greeted in October 2015 by Vasyl Ivanovych Marushchynets, who is an ex-vice-ambassador of Ukraine in Germany and Austria, counselor of the Ministry of International Affairs Public Record Department in Ukraine.
For two years already, the department of International Relations and Outer politics of the Political Sciences faculty and with the support of L.A. Vovchuk (Ph.D of Historical Sciences and senior lecturer at the University) organizes travels to the leading foreign policy and diplomatic institutions of our country such as Diplomatic Academy of Ukraine at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Museum of the History of Ukrainian Diplomacy. The main aim of such events is to get the students acquainted with the peculiarities of work of these establishments.
That’s why this year, just before the Easter, students of “International Relations” and “International Information” specialties filled with powers and inspiration traveled to Kyiv with the leaders of the groups (O. P. Tryhub, Doctor of Political Sciences, professor; T. Ye. Bohdanova, Ph.D. of Historical Sciences, reader; L.A. Vovchuk, senior lecturer; I.V. Habro, Ph.D. of Political Sciences, senior lecturer; lecturer O.O. Zvezdova).
The excursion began right from the Diplomatic Academy of Ukraine (DAU). It was held by V.H. Tsivatyi, who is the first vice principal of the Academy, Ph.D. of Historical Sciences and reader of the Academy. He is a very pleasant person who is completely devoted to his job.
According to the latest data, DAU ( created in 1995) is the leading educational establishment of IV degree of accreditation in the system of training, re-training and expert advanced training for work in the branch of international relations, diplomatic personnel training and Masters of foreign policy.
For 20 years DAU has made close connections with the leading high educational establishments of the USA, the UK, Germany, France, Spain, Belgium, Slovakia, Poland, Austria, countries of CIS and many others. It takes part in a big amount of international programs.
The first thing that students saw, was the conference hall, where various meetings of DAU representatives take place. They discuss urgent questions here and hold lectures for state government officials who are concerned about the questions of international relations of Ukraine. In the winter this place is used for Viennese Balls for master degree students. State and diplomatic representatives are invited to this event.
The next room which our students visited was the Academic Board Assembly Hall. Different conferences, round tables, workshops and other scientific and research events, Ph.D. and Doctor Thesis works defending. Because of the scientific aura here, the desire to make at least a report on “The Role of Diplomacy in modern Life” appears.
But the real discovery was the protocol hall (the hall where diplomatic reception is held). It is big, light and with some notes of the clerical theme. When you look at it, you remember the soviet movie “Ivan Vasylovych changes his profession”, and the hall itself reminds the one where Ivan the Terrible meets the Swedish ambassador. Viacheslav Hryhorovych Tsivatyi said that there was a church in this place but in Soviet time it was destroyed.
Then the students were taken to the scientific library of DAU, that impressed them with a spacious reading hall that is equipped with modern computers, convenient book depository and a
room for processing the library fund. The archive fund of H.Y. Udovenko, diplomat and politician, ex-minster of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine.
After that, the students visited the Museum of the History of Ukrainian Diplomacy at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (since 2014 it has been moved to the DAU). Here all the students (thanks to S.H. Tretiakova who is the new director of the Museum) got acquainted with the history of formation and establishment of diplomatic service, with its success at on the international arena, biographies of diplomatic representatives of the XX century. They also saw the sophisticated presents given to Ministers of Foreign Affairs of all the times (great interest was the book “ Leopolis Consulari” that is devoted to the history of establishing and foreign ambassadors activity in Lviv).
And finally, we visited the Money Museum at the National Bank of Ukraine where our students got to know more about the history of money circulation on the territory of Ukraine from ancient times and to nowadays. Everybody was impressed by commemorative coins the average value of which is more than 1,5 million hrn.
After a very interesting story of Mrs. Natalia, students were able to make a coin as a token of memories, and also they got the copy of the first hryvnia as a present.
Besides the Museum we succeeded to visit the State Treasury No. 1, where all the ancient, rare gold and silver coins, gems goods of XIX –XX centuries are stored, and jewelry and gems impressed the female part of the students. At the end, we were shown the catalog of National Bank of Ukraine Treasury.
After such an interesting and great excursion, our students felt satisfied and had an opportunity to walk around the city.
To sum it all up, I would like to tell that we don’t plan to stop. Vice versa, we are going to improve our travels with lectures from the leading DAU diplomatic representatives, who share their experience according to maintaining meetings, negotiations, talks and preparing diplomatic reception.
