Esperantists from Ukraine join a message of peace

(ANSA) - UDINE, 05 AGO - "We are Esperantists, and Esperanto is the language of peace, so we are fighting for peace; if war destroys the world, we risk losing all the culture we have." That is the message delivered today in Lignano Sabbiadoro (Udine) by Nina Danylyuk, an Esperantist and professor of general linguistics and interlinguistics at the Lesya Ukrainka Volyn National University in Lutsk, Ukraine, who arrived in the Friulian seaside town for the double world congress of Esperantists (youths and teachers), which is underway until August 12.
    Nina managed to reach Friuli with two other people from Ukraine: a small delegation from the conflict-affected country where several hundred people are Esperanto association members.
    "In the western part of the country, where our university is located, the situation is not that dramatic at the moment," she explains, "and our university has become a point of reference and refuge for lecturers from other universities across the country, in the eastern areas most affected by the war, which is seeing an upsurge," she points out, "especially Russian attacks on scientific and educational institutions. And that is why the Ukrainian delegation made an effort to reach out to the ongoing international congress in Lignano: to join the call for peace by Esperanto speakers from 50 countries worldwide.
    "We feel the burden of this war very much," the Lutsk Esperantist adds, "we give hospitality to colleagues and students from the eastern part. War is a terrible thing," she underlines, "there are so many people who would like to live in peace and instead are forced to fight and even die to defend themselves." (ANSA).