On April 5, 1710, in the city of Bendery (present-day Moldova), a treaty was adopted between the elected hetman Pylyp Orlyk and the Cossack foremen and Cossacks of the Zaporozhian Host. The document is better known as the Pylyp Orlyk’s Constitution or the first Constitution of Ukraine. This is a unique legal document, which is irrefutable proof of the high level of legal and political culture of the Ukrainian society of the 18th century.
Today, in the period of full-scale war, Ukraine is undergoing radical changes, introducing structural reforms and modernizing a number of national economy sectors. The success of many undertakings is impossible without a decent legal basis, laid in our statehood, as well as the rule of law is impossible without the constitutional culture and constitutional field, thanks to which we are confidently moving towards the European democratic community.
The Constitution of Ukraine is our guide and chief arbiter. I am sure that thanks to democratic achievements of the Ukrainian civil society the importance of constitutional culture, in particular the imperative action of the Main Law of Ukraine in our country is only growing. Personal responsibility and caring about the path of our state, how tomorrow will be for future generations – this is a strong civic position, which consolidates millions of Ukrainians, making us European in spirit and blood.
Our citizens defend with dignity the constitutional rights and constitutional order in the state: from the defense of the country on the front lines, where Ukrainians offer heroic resistance to a world of imperial authoritarianism, military aggression, and systemic human deprivation, to numerous volunteer and public associations. This is the country’s reboot – the will to act and to introduce fundamental changes that will give its citizens the greatest opportunity to realize themselves, that will make the country technologically and economically advanced.
Ukrainians pass this exam with dignity at the beginning of XXI century, in which first of all the countries and societies where freedom, independence, democracy, honest competition, openness, respect for other cultures and nations are valued become effective.
From the whole Republic of Moldova and personally I congratulate you on the Ukrainian Constitution Day!
I’m sure that our strong European state will have a happy future!
Glory to Ukraine!
Honorary consul of the Republic of Moldova
Mykola Skrypkovskyi
