National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine
Oleksandr Danyliuk: The state and veterans should develop partnering relations – trust, respect and openness
The state and veterans should develop partnering relations - trust, respect and openness. This was stated by Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine Oleksandr Danyliuk at the International Volunteer and Veteran's Forum on Friday.
"I am grateful to all you for that Ukraine is sovereign, for being able to talk about its development", - Mr. Danyliuk said addressing the participants of the forum. - Thank you for ensuring the security of our country by deed, not by word".
At the same time, he noted that sometimes people who live a daily life find it difficult to understand what a war is, and this, unfortunately, leads to the emergence of "walls" between veterans and those who did not see duty. According to Mr. Danyliuk, "such walls grow very fast and create great obstacles for the development of the whole society".
"Therefore, our key goal is to look for mechanisms to support veterans and not allow this wall to grow", - he emphasized. - Veterans are the priority, and it will not only be preserved but also strengthened. Our task is to remove certain elements of artificiality in this approach".
Mr. Danyliuk pointed out that veterans went to defend the Homeland by the call of the heart, and did not think about what they would receive from the state later. "The state should make sure that you do not feel as if you were forgotten or that you lost anything", - he said.
In this context, Mr. Danyliuk expressed the necessity to optimize approaches to receiving benefits by veterans, in particular, to partially monetize them, since the benefits which exist on paper, but which cannot be used in practice, are "an irritant causing distrust".
Speaking about the Unified Register of Veterans, which is currently being developed by the Ministry of Veterans Affairs, the NSDC Secretary emphasized: "The main issue is that no one should be forgotten and that the state does not lose anyone. The President and the NSDC will provide maximum support in this".
Oleksandr Danyliuk also considers it important to support the veterans' business initiatives at the state level: "There are many successful examples, and they should be taken as a model, to support everyone who wants to realize themselves in business and entrepreneurship".
To the NSDC Secretary's belief, one of the priorities of the state policy should be the support and financing of programs for the rehabilitation of veterans, as well as the promotion of such programs in the veteran environment. "It's hard for all people to ask for help for themselves. And for those who are used to protecting others, it is extremely difficult. The state should understand this and take the initiative and lend a helping hand", - he said.