Protecting Cultural Heritage: Berezhna Meets with Ministers from Finland and Moldova

Tatiana Berezhna, Ukraine's Deputy Prime Minister for Humanitarian Policy, recently convened with the culture ministers of Finland and Moldova to address critical issues regarding the protection of Ukrainian cultural heritage that has suffered due to the war. According to the Ukrainian Ministry of Culture's website, the meeting took place against the backdrop of an international conference where participants emphasized the importance of global support during these challenging times for Ukraine.

During the conference, Berezhna underscored that Russian aggression poses a direct threat to Ukrainian culture and identity. "During this conference, we once again realized how crucial international support is. Russian aggression directly attacks Ukrainian culture and identity, and overcoming these challenges is only possible through active international solidarity," she stated, highlighting the necessity for collective efforts to safeguard cultural heritage.

Finland's Minister of Culture, Laura Talviti, praised the initiative to establish the Ukrainian Cultural Heritage Fund. "We believe that the fund's priorities—restoring damaged sites, creating repositories, digitizing, and cataloging cultural heritage—are very well chosen. We are closely monitoring its activities within the Cultural Resilience Alliance," she emphasized, confirming Finland's readiness to actively participate in these processes.

During the meeting, the parties also discussed further strengthening cooperation within the Cultural Resilience Alliance and the Northern Dimension format, which aims to facilitate experience sharing and joint protection of cultural heritage. This issue has become particularly relevant in light of the new challenges faced by countries striving to preserve their cultural identity.

Special attention was given to the preservation of cultural values during the meeting with Moldova's Minister of Culture, Cristian Jardan. The parties discussed the challenges related to temporarily occupied territories, where a significant portion of museum collections is preserved, as well as the development of digitization for their accounting and protection. "We are grateful for your support and cooperation. Although we would never wish to experience this war, we are obliged to share our experiences with our partners. As long as Russia exists, we must be prepared and view cultural and national security as interconnected," Berezhna emphasized while addressing her Moldovan counterpart.

Christian Jardan confirmed his readiness to deepen cooperation and exchange practices further. "It is extremely important for us to develop a partnership with Ukraine. We aim not only to support but also to learn from the experience of responding to challenges in the cultural sector, particularly regarding heritage preservation in crisis conditions," he noted, expressing Moldova's willingness to actively participate in these initiatives.

The meeting also addressed measures to counter Russian propaganda and misinformation, as well as the promotion of Ukrainian culture and educational initiatives in the Republic of Moldova. These issues have become vital components of the strategy to protect cultural heritage and national identity in the face of contemporary challenges.

As reported by Ukrinform, Deputy Prime Minister for Humanitarian Policy of Ukraine and Minister of Culture Tatiana Berezhna met with Moldova's Minister of Culture Cristian Jardan during the International Conference "Cooperation for Resilience" in Lviv, highlighting the significance of international collaboration in preserving cultural heritage.