In her speech, the Prime Minister emphasized that the brutal, unjustified, and unprovoked war waged by Russia not only targets Ukraine’s sovereignty and territory but also openly seeks to erase the identity of Ukraine.
‘They say, when arms speak, muses are silent. Every day, Ukraine proves these words of Cicero or conventional wisdom wrong. The Ukrainian voice of muses is now particularly loud. It resonates in the souls of all people worldwide who value freedom, human life, and dignity. Together, we need to make this voice heard even louder and spread wider yet,’ said the Prime Minister.
‘Therefore, while we must continue and speed up all the defence assistance to Ukraine, whatever victory takes, we must also make sure that we help Ukraine safeguard its cultural heritage and its cultural life,’ added the Prime Minister.
Welcoming the participants of the conference, the Prime Minister expressed her hope that this event would encourage concerted efforts to protect these invaluable treasures not only for the future generations of Ukrainians but also – to make the world’s culture richer and more colourful.
The conference in Vilnius aims to raise awareness about the impact of Russia’s war on Ukraine’s cultural sector. It seeks to highlight the crucial role of culture in the country’s recovery and to strengthen international support for Ukraine’s stabilization and recovery from the devastating effects of the war. This includes providing urgent assistance to specific cultural sectors and the regions of Ukraine most affected by the conflict.
The conference has brought together up to 200 participants from various countries around the world (Belgium, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Spain, Japan, the United Kingdom, Latvia, Poland, the Netherlands, Romania, Slovakia, Sweden, Switzerland, Ukraine, Germany, and others) who support war-torn Ukraine – representatives of governments, ministers of culture, members of international and non-governmental organizations, and experts.
