Chisinau, July 15 (Infotag). Several non-governmental organizations of Ukraine, being parts to a working group for settlement and prevention of conflicts in the CIS, will conduct a civil mission entitled “Ukrainians in Moldova”.

Mr. Igor Kaminnik, Chairman of the “Kovcheg” Association for Support of Civil Initiatives (Odessa city), told a news conference in Infotag the mission will comprise a sociological survey to be carried out in Balti city, the Edinet and Briceni raions – localities that are home to largest communities of ethnic Ukrainians in Moldova.

Researchers will interview 1.6 thousand people who will answer which difficulties they face living in Moldova. Simultaneously, a similar survey will be conducted in the Chernovtsy region – on problems faced by ethnic Moldovans living in that region of Ukraine.

The civil mission over, the Association will open its information center in Chisinau for the protection of ethnic Ukrainians’ rights in this republic.

Research results should reveal the Moldova Ukrainians’ most essential problems and work out a mechanism of their solution: to hold seminars, trainings and conferences on protection of the rights of ethnic-cultural associations, to work out amendments to legislation in force, etc.

The results of the mission will be presented on a special site to be opened soon. The Ukrainian non-governmental organizations have already carried out similar missions in the former USSR Central Asiatic republics, in the Caucasus region, in Belarus and Poland.

According to the 2004 census, there are 283.4 thousand ethnic Ukrainians living in Moldova – 8.4% of the country’s population.