Meeting of Association representatives with the Ambassador of Ukraine to Estonia

On 16 November, the Embassy of Ukraine in the Republic of Estonia hosted a meeting of board members, representatives and volunteers of the Association of Ukrainian Organisations in Estonia with the Ambassador of Ukraine to Estonia Maksym Kononenko.

During the meeting, the Association’s representatives were able to talk about current projects and initiatives, the work of each member organisation – of which there are now 18 – and plans for next year!

They also discussed problems and ways to solve them, the Association’s role in the life of the Ukrainian community in Estonia, and all opportunities to continue the fruitful partnership between the Association and the Embassy in carrying out important cultural and social projects!

Maksym Kononenko thanked all members of the Association for their fruitful work, in particular in preserving the Ukrainian language and the identity of Ukrainians in Estonia, and for promoting cultural heritage, values and traditions, which the Association has been tirelessly doing for almost 25 years.

Embassy staff were also invited to the meeting; they answered the community’s questions and took an active part in the discussion: Counsellor to the Ambassador Oleksandr Kushnir, First Secretary for Economic Cooperation Maksym Kuvyklin, First Secretary for Cultural and Humanitarian Cooperation, Media and Education Inna Bibik, and First Secretary for Consular Affairs Andrii Husak.

Thank you for the productive dialogue and active participation: Creative association “Orpheus” (Tapa, leader Liubov Laur), Ukrainian Association Spogad (Paide, leader Tetiana Poniatenko), Sillamäe Ukrainian community “Vodograi” (Sillamäe, leader Larysa Zhytnik), Ukrainian society “Kalyna” Ukrainian society and Saturday school “Kalyna”, Valga (leader Ruslana Dovha), reading club KOLO (Tartu, leader Aliona Kuts), Hanna Kiriienko – moderator of the platform Strichka, teachers of the Ukrainian Sunday school “Nadija” (Nadija Kool) Alla Inno-Yakymenko, Tetiana Klymenko and Karina Chervinko-Amirkhanian, the Ukrainian art studio “MRIJA” (Tallinn, leader Oleksandr Smirnov), OÜ Gumor UA (Tallinn, leader Serhii Oliinyk, represented by Andrii Anisimov), the Ukrainian song and dance ensemble “Volya” Ukrainian song and dance group "Volya" (artistic director Yevhenii Novokhatnii), Olga Sabanska, Oleksandra Phonovska, Kryachkova Inna, Oleksandra Silina, Tetiana Panasiuk, Tetiana Kovinska, Andriy Yatsenko and Liidia Laane, the Association’s PR director and board member of MTÜ Druzi Inna Hordiienko, and the chairman of the Association’s board and head of the Regional Board of the Ukrainian Youth Association in Estonia – Volodymyr Palamar!

Unfortunately, not all organisations could attend, as most of them are based outside Tallinn, so they delegated the representation of their interests to the Association’s board.

We thank the Ambassador of Ukraine to Estonia Maksym Kononenko and the Embassy staff for the invitation and their time. We believe such meetings are an important part of the relationship between the community and the state, and of protecting the rights and interests of the Ukrainian community in Estonia.