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Romanian president asks Zelensky to revise bill necessary for EU accession.

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Romanian President Klaus Iohannis asked President Volodymyr Zelensky to revise Ukraine's bill on ethnic minorities during a phone call on Jan. 4.

The ethnic minorities bill is one of the conditions for Ukraine's accession to the European Union.

The bill, which was passed by the Ukrainian parliament on Dec. 13, has prompted criticism by the Romanian authorities and Ukraine's Romanian community. It has yet to be signed by Zelensky.

Zelensky expressed “his full openness to identifying solutions” for the Romanian community in Ukraine to benefit from the same rights enjoyed by the Ukrainian community in Romania, Iohannis' office said.

Romania’s Foreign Ministry published a statement on Dec. 22, “expressing regret” that the Ukrainian parliament adopted the bill without additional consultations with Ukraine's Romanian community and the Venice Commission, an advisory body of the Council of Europe.

Romania has argued that the ethnic minorities bill fails to sufficiently ensure the use of Romanian as a language of education in Ukraine.

Meanwhile, Iohannis condemned Russia's aggression against Ukraine and pledged to provide further aid.

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The Kyiv Independent news desk

We are the news team of the Kyiv Independent. We are here to make sure our readers get quick, essential updates about the events in Ukraine. Feel free to contact us via email with feedback and news alerts.

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