[Lgpolicy-list] [lg policy] Ex-Soviet GUAM Group Drops Russian, Switches To English

[Harold Schiffman]

  Ex-Soviet GUAM Group Drops Russian, Switches To English

    By RFE/RL

December 05, 2014

A grouping of former Soviet republics whose ties with Moscow are strained
have switched from the Russian language to English at a meeting.

The GUAM Organization for Democracy and Economic Development comprises
Georgia, Ukraine, Azerbaijan, and Moldova.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin *said*
<https://twitter.com/PavloKlimkin/status/540781772775370752>on December
5 that at a session in Basel, Switzerland, he proposed that participants
speak English instead of Russian, which was the main language used in
official gatherings in the Soviet Union.

He said that the other representatives agreed.

GUAM was created in 2001 by the four current members and Uzbekistan, which
later withdrew.

It is sometimes seen in Russia as a tool to counter Moscow's influence.

Russia's annexation of Crimea from Ukraine in March and its support for
pro-Russian separatists fighting Ukrainian government forces has increased
concerns about Moscow's intentions in the region.

Georgia, Ukraine, and Moldova have signed agreements to tighten ties with
the European Union.
 http://www.rferl.org/content/article/26727422.html


-- 
=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+

 Harold F. Schiffman

Professor Emeritus of
 Dravidian Linguistics and Culture
Dept. of South Asia Studies
University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA 19104-6305

Phone:  (215) 898-7475
Fax:  (215) 573-2138

Email:  haroldfs at gmail.com
http://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/~haroldfs/

-------------------------------------------------
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://listserv.linguistlist.org/pipermail/lgpolicy-list/attachments/20141206/9716e5e4/attachment.htm>
-------------- next part --------------
_______________________________________________
This message came to you by way of the lgpolicy-list mailing list
lgpolicy-list at groups.sas.upenn.edu
To manage your subscription unsubscribe, or arrange digest format: https://groups.sas.upenn.edu/mailman/listinfo/lgpolicy-list