Ukraine attends informal meeting of Nordic-Baltic ministers of culture as special guest

The Nordic and Baltic ministers of culture convened at an informal meeting on Tuesday 6 May 2025 in Helsinki to discuss the protection of cultural heritage in a crisis or war as part of preparedness work and resilience. Ukraine's Minister of Culture Mykola Tochytskyi attended the meeting as a special guest.

The meeting, organised on the joint initiative of Finland and Åland, was hosted by Finland’s Minister of Science and Culture Mari-Leena Talvitie. In addition to the Ukrainian Minister of Culture, the meeting was also attended by the ministers responsible for culture in Denmark (Jakob Engel-Schmidt), Iceland (Logi Einarsson), Norway (Lubna Jaffery), Sweden (Parisa Liljestrand), Åland (Annika Hambrudd), the Faroe Islands (Eirikur í Jákupsstovu), Estonia (Heidy Purga), Latvia (Agnese Lāce) and Lithuania (Šarūnas Birutis).

The meeting was an informal one with no formal decisions made. The ministers continued their discussion that was started at the ministerial meeting and the related conference held in Stockholm last year and the discussion on how to further strengthen the regional cooperation between the Nordic and Baltic countries and Ukraine on resilience and the protection and accessibility of cultural heritage. 

Last year, the Nordic and Baltic ministers adopted a joint declaration entitled ‘Nordic-Baltic ministerial declaration on the role of culture and cultural heritage for democratic and resilient societies’. In the declaration, the ministers condemn Russia's military aggression against Ukraine and its violation of Ukraine's sovereignty, destroying and damaging Ukraine's cultural, historical and religious sites and cultural heritage. 

At a roundtable discussion, the ministers received information on the critical situation in Ukraine, in addition to which the focus was on the measures that each country prioritises to protect cultural heritage during a crisis or war and on the link between the protection of cultural heritage and national defence. 

“Regional cooperation in the protection of cultural heritage strengthens citizens' trust and society's resilience. Cooperation promotes democracy and openness in society and binds its residents together. That is why it is important that we develop preparedness expertise in the cultural sector both nationally and together with our neighbouring countries in a cross-sectoral manner,” says Minister Talvitie. 

The meeting was organised as part of Finland's and Åland's 2025 co-presidency of the Nordic Council of Ministers. The Nordic ministers responsible for education, science and culture convened in different compositions in Helsinki on 5–6 May 2025. 

Inquiries:
-    Mirva Mattila, Senior Ministerial Adviser, tel. +358 295 330 269
-    Riitta Heinämaa, Senior Ministerial Adviser, tel. +358 295 330 090
-    Photos from the meeting on Flickr