Today, on September 4th, the Acting Minister of Culture and Information Policy, Rostyslav Karandieiev, met with the Special Envoy for the Reconstruction and Resilience of Ukraine, Davide La Cecilia. The parties discussed issues related to strengthening the protection and restoration of Ukraine’s cultural heritage within the context of cooperation between Italy and Ukraine.
Rostyslav Karandieiev discussed the challenges facing the Ministry of Culture and Information Policy (the MCIP) during the war and in the of post-war restoration period.
“Now, our efforts are focused on preserving and restoring objects of cultural heritage, including museum collections. We have a great need for restorers, so we hope for professional and technical assistance from Italy, a country rich in cultural heritage,” said the Acting Minister.
According to him, building cooperation between Italian and Ukrainian cultural centers at the level of local communities will provide an opportunity to rebuild a resilient Ukraine.
“Such cooperation involves the exchange of experience between our countries regarding the training of museums and reserve staff, providing job opportunities, as well as offering scholarships and grants to preserve the expertise and cultural productivity of Ukrainian artists living abroad”.
In turn, the Italian side expressed its readiness to become a patron in the restoration of Odesa and to partcicpate in the process of restoring the Transfiguration Cathedral in Odesa, which suffered as a result of russian attacks. Work on finding suitable economic and technical solutions for the restoration of this important historical object has already begun.
The parties agreed on further development and implementation of joint initiatives in the field of culture.
“We express our gratitude to the Italian side for the special attention they pay to our challenges, in particular to Odesa. We also extend our thanks to all citizens of Italy for their support in both military and humanitarian aspects. Military support is essential for achieving victory, and humanitarian aid is crucial for us to withstand and look confidently towards the future. This demonstrates your belief in Ukraine’s victory and our further restoration in line with European standards,” emphasized Rostyslav Karandieiev.
As a reminder, thanks to Italian support, a nomination dossier for the “Historical Center of the Port City of Odesa” was prepared for inclusion in the UNESCO World Heritage List.
