The Verkhovna Rada has adopted the Ukrainian law on the principles of domestic and foreign policy, which was submitted by Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych.
A total of 259 lawmakers out of the 279 registered in the parliament's session hall voted for the document late on Thursday.
Among the main principles stipulated in the document are ensuring Ukraine's full participation in the European and regional systems of collective security, the country's gaining membership of the European Union, while maintaining good-neighborly relations and strategic partnership with Russia, CIS countries, as well as other countries.
A clause on Ukraine's gaining membership of NATO was excluded from the document, which caused indignation among opposition members.
As for the language issue, the document "ensures the development and functioning of Ukrainian as a state language in all spheres of public life throughout Ukraine, as well as guarantees the free development, use and protection of Russian and other languages of national minorities in Ukraine."
The opposition insisted that the status of the Ukrainian language be approved "as the only state language."
While considering amendments to the bill, Our Ukraine-People's Self-Defense MP Viacheslav Kyrylenko accused the coalition of profaning the democratic process, as none of the 420 amendments proposed by the opposition have been taken into account.
UKRINFORM
