On January 15, 2025, in Vienna, Austria and Ukraine signed the first working programme for bilateral cooperation in the fields of culture, education, and science, opening new opportunities for deepening the partnership between the two countries.
According to the Austrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs,
"On January 15, 2025, in Vienna, Ambassador Christoph Tun-Hohenstein, Head of the Foreign Culture Department at the Austrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and Ambassador of Ukraine Vasyl Kymynets signed the first working programme for bilateral cooperation in the fields of culture, education, and science. This programme is based on the agreement that has been in place since 2019 and for the first time creates concrete frameworks for projects in these areas."
The signing of the programme followed an intensive two-day exchange of ideas between delegations from both countries, "during which not only existing cooperation was deepened but new priorities were identified." The main focus was placed on "such important topics as the development of a sustainable circular society, climate culture, and digital humanism."
Representatives from the Ministries of Foreign Affairs, Education, and Culture participated in the mixed commission meeting.
"The adoption of the working programme marks a new stage in Austrian-Ukrainian relations. It aims to promote projects by Austrian institutions, such as the Austrian Embassy and the Austrian Cultural Forum in Kyiv, Austrian libraries, and the Austrian Agency for Education and International Cooperation," the Austrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs reported.
The ministry also noted that ongoing Russian attacks on Ukrainian infrastructure create significant logistical and financial challenges for implementing projects on the ground, "which is why this initiative is an even more important symbol of Austria’s solidarity and a joint interest in cooperation."
In addition, the Austrian Ministry of Culture and Arts reported that, during the meeting in Vienna on Wednesday, Minister Werner Kogler and Ukraine's First Deputy Minister of Culture, Halyna Hryhorenko, signed a "Letter of Intent" on specific measures for cooperation between the two countries in the field of culture.
"Putin is waging not only a war in Ukraine in the direct sense but also a war against language, culture, and way of life. He wants not only to destroy Ukraine but to erase it from people's consciousness. That is why it is extremely important that we continue to stand firmly by the Ukrainians in this particularly sensitive area," said the Austrian minister.
The signed "Letter of Intent" includes, among other things, the exchange of Artists in Residence programmes as part of the continuation of the "Office Ukraine" initiative, educational internships for Ukrainian artists in Austrian cultural institutions, further support for the Kyiv Biennale, knowledge exchange in the field of cultural heritage and architectural culture, cooperation in the museum sector, and at festivals in the field of performing arts.
As reported by Ukrinform, earlier in January, Ukraine's Minister of Culture and Strategic Communications, Mykola Tochytskyi, discussed the prospects for cultural and strategic communications cooperation between the two countries with the Austrian Ambassador to Ukraine, Arad Benkyo.
The meeting also covered the Ukraine Reconstruction Conference (URC 2025), which will take place in Rome in July 2025 and will focus on issues of resilience and recovery in Ukraine, including in the context of culture.
