S. Kairys at the Berlin Conference: “Culture must become the basis for Ukraine's recovery and reconstruction”
Today, the Minister of Culture Simonas Kairys attended the Ukraine Recovery Conference 2024 in Berlin, which focused on the protection and preservation of Ukraine's culture and cultural heritage.
At the Berlin conference, Simonas Kairys presented the results of the international high-level conference "Towards the Restoration of Ukraine's Cultural Sector", which took place in Vilnius on 7 June.
“I want to express my immense gratitude to all the countries and international partners who have come to Vilnius to say out loud that Ukraine’s culture is an integral part of the culture of Europe and the entire world, to condemn Russia's ongoing aggression against Ukraine and its barbaric and criminal destruction of Ukraine's culture and cultural heritage aimed at erasing the country’s identity. The participants of the Vilnius Conference also called for Russia to be held accountable for its aggression and destruction of Ukraine, including its cultural heritage," said Simonas Kairys. A total of 31 countries and 7 international partners from the USA, Asia and Europe supported Vilnius call for action to put the cultural sector at the forefront of the process of Ukraine's stabilisation, rehabilitation, reconstruction, and the reintegration of its temporarily occupied territories, he said.
Simonas Kairys noted that the Vilnius Call for Action recognises the role of UNESCO and international partners in mobilising support for Ukraine and building its future. The Vilnius Conference demonstrated the need for better international coordination in supporting Ukraine's cultural sector.
The Minister of Culture said he hoped that the Vilnius Conference was only the beginning and that its results would serve as a basis for the full involvement of culture in the recovery and reconstruction of Ukraine. In Berlin, Italy reaffirmed the commitment made in Vilnius to include culture in next year's Ukraine Recovery Conference in Rome.
According to the Minister Simonas Kairys, the Vilnius Conference reconfirmed the fact that many countries see Ukraine as part of the European family, which makes a coordinated joint effort towards Ukraine all the more important and meaningful for us all.
Photo of the Ministry of Culture
Updated on: 12-06-2024
Last updated: 05-07-2024