Minister of Culture Kairys is presented a Ukrainian state award
At an award ceremony held in Vilnius on 6 October at the Jerzy Giedroyc Forum for Dialogue and Cooperation and the ‘Lublin Four’ Forum, the Minister of Culture of the Republic of Lithuania, Simonas Kairys, was presented a Ukrainian state award, the Order of Prince Yaroslav the Wise (5th degree).
From the very beginning of the war against Ukraine, Minister Kairys has actively worked together with the leadership of the Ministry of Culture of Ukraine, emphasising the necessity of supporting Ukraine as it defends its independence and of supporting Ukraine’s interests in international gatherings, conferences and other events. Together with Piotr Gliński, Minister of Culture and National Heritage of Poland, and Oleksandr Tkachenko, then-Minister of Culture and Information Policy of Ukraine, Minister Kairys signed the Lublin Triangle declaration regarding support for Ukraine, which obligated the signatories to support Ukraine in various international formats in order to preserve its cultural heritage and cultural properties, provide multi-faceted support to representatives of Ukraine’s culture and arts who create and work in Lithuania, Poland and Ukraine, and contribute to the sustainable restoration of Ukraine.
The Ministry’s efforts contributed to significant changes in the international context: blockage of the content of three Russian TV propaganda channels was included in the sixth package of EU sanctions on Russia, and the Russian Federation withdrew from its chairmanship of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee.
The Ukrainian state award to Minister Kairys was presented in accordance with a decree signed by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on 22 August 2022.
Photograph courtesy of Gintarė Grigėnaitė
Last updated: 31-10-2023
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