Greece’s diplomatic efforts have played a part in the inclusion of the historic city centre of Odesa in Ukraine being included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.
According AMNA, while the decision was the outcome of coordinated efforts, the Greek Foreign Affairs Ministry said in a statement that it “took the lead, as a member of the [World Heritage] Committee, in coordination with Belgium, Bulgaria, Italy and Japan.”
The Ministry said it immediately responded “to Ukraine’s request for the city’s protection, especially under the current war conditions prevailing in the region.”
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskiy welcomed the UNESCO decision.
“I’m grateful to partners who help protect our pearl from the Russian invaders’ attacks,” he tweeted.
Odesa is often described as Ukraine’s “pearl of the Black Sea.” Since the Russian invasion, Ukrainians have rushed to try to protect the city’s monuments and buildings with sandbags and barricades.
The city was also added to the list of world heritage sites in danger, which UNESCO says “gives it access to reinforced technical and financial international assistance” to protect or, if necessary, rehabilitate it.
Source: AMNA.
