Italy and Ukraine have signed a bilateral agreement for the post-war redevelopment of Odesa after many of the historic city's monuments were severely damaged by Russian missile strikes last July.
Foreign minister Antonio Tajani and Ukraine's community development and infrastructure minister Vasyl Shkurakov inked the accord during a key two-day conference in Berlin that aims to mobilise global support and investment for rebuilding the war-ravaged country.
The memorandum of understanding comes after Italy took on patronage for the reconstruction of the city and region of Odesa at talks in Kiev between Tajani and Ukrainian premier Denys Shmyhal during a visit on 2 October, 2023.
The MoU aims to establish a general framework for cooperation and coordination with Ukrainian authorities" to maximize efforts and capacities" to help reconstruct Odesa and the surrounding region (after the conflict with Russia following its 2022 invasion), the foreign ministry said in an earlier statement.
Among the war-damaged architectural treasures that Italy is helping restore is Odesa's Transfiguration Cathedral, a Unesco World Heritage site and the city's largest church building.
