Poroshenko meets with PACE President Kyriakides

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has met with the newly elected Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) President Stella Kyriakides, in Strasbourg, France on Wednesday.

"The president met with the new PACE president," Poroshenko's press service said on Twitter.

First Deputy Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Speaker Iryna Gerashchenko, who is a member of Ukraine's PACE delegation, said it was Kyriakides' first meeting since being elected. She added that Ukraine's delegation to the PACE meeting includes Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin and Education Minister Lilia Hrynevych.

"This is important because of the discussion about [Ukraine's new] education law," Gerashchenko added.

As earlier reported, PACE will have an urgent debate during its autumn session in regard to Ukraine's education law, including Article 7 that prescribes the language of teaching.

According to the PACE session's agenda, the urgent debate on Ukraine's education law will take place on Thursday, October 12.

Ukraine's education law took effect on September 28. Inter alia, the law defines the official language of Ukraine as the language of education, however, one or several subjects may be taught in two languages of more, such as the official language of Ukraine, English, or other official languages of the European Union, consistent with the curriculum.

Persons belonging to national minorities are guaranteed the right to study in their native language along with the Ukrainian language in separate classes (groups) of municipally owned institutions of preschool and primary education.

On September 28, the Foreign Ministry sent the education law for examination to the Venice Commission.