On November 4, 2024, the Minister of Culture and Strategic Communications of Ukraine Mykola Tochytskyi held a meeting with the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of India to Ukraine H.E. Shri Ravi Shankar, during which the parties discussed the prospects of Ukrainian-Indian cooperation in the field of culture and information.

"An important step in strengthening friendly ties between our peoples and cultures is the Cultural Cooperation Programme for 2024-2028, signed in August this year during the visit of the Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi to Ukraine. We are very interested in developing cooperation with India and implementing joint projects in various cultural areas," Minister said.

According to the Ambassador of India to Ukraine, "cultural diplomacy is an important component of cooperation between Ukraine and India. Cooperation in the field of culture should be interactive and we are ready to strengthen our relations through joint initiatives, such as the Days of Ukraine in India. Such events will become a platform for the exchange of cultural values and experiences. In addition, the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) is ready to help promote cultural projects at the international level, which opens up new opportunities for cooperation."

In turn, Mykola Tochytskyi outlined the key areas and projects that require support from foreign partners. In particular, "Translate Ukraine" - support program for translation of Ukrainian literature, the implementation of cultural projects in India under the patronage of the First Lady of Ukraine Olena Zelenska - "Ukrainian Bookshelf" and Ukrainian-language audio guides in leading museums and cultural sites, as well as the "National Bookshelf in Ukrainian libraries". The latter aims to decolonize the funds of Ukrainian public libraries and increase the share of Ukrainian translations from various languages.

"We are grateful to the Indian journalists for media support in covering the situation in Ukraine, particularly in the cultural sphere. This is very important for us. We are also interested in establishing direct cooperation between Ukrainian and Indian media companies," Minister added.

"We are open to cooperation, in particular, regarding the promotion of Ukrainian books, as well as the joint implementation of other cultural initiatives," emphasized H.E. Shri Ravi Shankar.

At the end of the meeting, Mykola Tochytskyi once again emphasized that Ukrainian history, culture and national identity are fundamentally different from Russian.

"The war we are in is a consequence of the imperial ambitions of the Russian Federation, and Russia, as the last empire in Europe and Asia, must understand that it cannot dictate the history of other countries," Minister concluded.

Photo and materials: Ministry of Culture and Strategic Communications of Ukraine.