On February 9, Odessa Mayor Gennady Trukhanov welcomed in Odessa the official visit of the Italian government delegation headed by Davide La Cecilia, Special Envoy for Restoring and Strengthening Stability in Ukraine. Italian officials were accompanied by the mayor. Chiara Detzi Baldeschi from the UNESCO Desk in Kyiv.
A working session of the City Council was held to discuss the restoration of the Transfiguration Cathedral and present UNESCO’s plans for the reconstruction of Odessa’s historic buildings damaged in the Russian attack. Chiara Dezzi Baldeschi indicated the urgent stabilization of damaged monuments and the creation of a master plan for the management of cultural heritage as the main directions for cooperation.
“Today, a very important and responsible meeting for Odesa was held, a roundtable was held to discuss the roadmap, on the basis of which we will move forward,” Trukhanov said.
Special Envoy La Cecilia reminded that in October 2023 Italy received official support for the reconstruction of Odessa and began cooperating with UNESCO on this issue. He added that Italy will hold the G7 Presidency from January 1, 2024, and the issue of rebuilding Ukraine will also be included in the G7’s priorities.
Special Envoy Davide La Cecilia
“Our project was born out of a desire to join the Farnesina Museum, based on a proposal from the Milan Triennale and the MAXXI Museum in Rome. [Italian Foreign Ministry] In cooperation with the Ministry of Culture, creatives and designers, international cultural institutions, Italian companies and economic associations, we are sponsoring the urban and architectural development of Ukrainian cities based on green logic, starting from Odessa, which we are sponsoring. Regeneration is in progress. We will enable digitalization and sustainable transformation,” La Cecilia said.
Other interesting topics
Last suspect in defense procurement corruption scheme arrested
Roman Hrinkevich, along with his father Ihor and three others, is accused of a massive fraud that cost the Ministry of Defense $32 million.
The day before, on February 8, Italy and UNESCO formally agreed to contribute 500 million euros towards the restoration of the roof of the Orthodox Cathedral of the Transfiguration in Odesa. The agreement was signed in Kiev in the presence of Pietro Pipi, Director General of the Italian Agency for Development and Cooperation (AICS), Ambassador Pier Francesco Zaso for Italy and UNESCO Director General Valdeschi for Ukraine.
“Italy, through its institutions and industrial capabilities, is very committed to the reconstruction of Ukraine,” Ambassador Pier Francesco Zazo said, underscoring Italy’s expertise in the restoration of monuments and cultural properties.