On March 25 the worldwide Greek community marked its greatest holiday. That day in 1821 saw the beginning of the struggle for liberation from the rule of the Ottoman Empire which finally brought Greece freedom from centuries-old Turkish domination. Ukraine is linked to Greece not only by its large Greek Diaspora but also by close political, economic and cultural ties. On the eve of the country’s national holiday, the Ambassador of Greece to Ukraine, Dimitris Contoumas, kindly agreed to be interviewed by The Day .
Mr. Ambassador, how do you assess the development of relations between our countries in the last two years which have passed since the ratification by Ukraine of the Treaty on Friendship and Cooperation with Greece?
This treaty is a cornerstone of our relations and includes over twenty agreements which have been signed on later. Recently, Greek lawmakers have ratified the Treaty on Cooperation in Education, Science, and Culture, while several weeks ago an agreement to prevent double taxation was initialed, much to the satisfaction of numerous Greek businesses operating in Ukraine.
The further development of trade and economic relations is a top priority for both countries, of course. This was the key issue of my recent meeting with Ukraine’s Prime Minister Viktor Yushchenko. We both agreed that there is a large potential for cooperation in this area. Let me give you just one example. In the next three years Greece, a leading maritime country, will order 170 ships to be built at shipyards worldwide, with only six vessels to be built by Ukraine. Meanwhile, our orders to Ukrainian shipbuilders could have been twice as large. In general, our cooperation in the maritime sector should be more extensive.
One of Ukraine’s most pressing problems is the future of the Chornobyl nuclear power plant. What were Greece’s motives when it decided to allocate ECU 2.5 million for closure of the Chornobyl plant?
Greece was not indifferent to the Chornobyl nuclear disaster. Apart from financial help to Ukraine, many Ukrainian children living in the polluted areas have been able to come to Greece for their summer vacations for a number of years now. We cannot look the other way when the destiny of Ukraine’s younger generation is at stake. Without going into statistics, I would like to mention that Greece has offered a helping hand to Turkey in the wake of the earthquake in that country, and relations with Turkey cannot be compared with those we have with Ukraine. Incidentally, Ukraine’s Minister for the Emergencies Durdynets signed an agreement on partnership for the prevention of industrial accidents, natural calamities and liquidation of their consequences.
Neither radioactive contamination, nor earthquakes, nor other industrial or natural calamities know no borders. That is why we are very worried by Turkey’s decision to build a nuclear power plant in Akuju, in southern Turkey, just opposite Cyprus. This is a seismologically active area and one can hardly imagine how grave the consequences for Greece, Ukraine, Syria, Cyprus and the whole large region could be. I would not even try to imagine this.
Last month the Center for Hellenic Studies and Greek Culture was opened at the department of foreign languages in Taras Shevchenko National University in Kyiv. What is your opinion about the Ukrainian school of Modern Greek philology?
In my opinion, the strength of the Ukrainian Hellinistics lies in its sincerity and historical traditions. I was greatly impressed by the number of Ukrainians, not Greeks by origin, who do us a great honor by taking up Greek. Greek is not the language of commerce. Nor is it the language of an ethnic minority. It is the language of an ancient culture of global importance. I am very pleased that the Ukrainians are well aware of this and study Greek zealously, just like the representatives of our 300,000- strong Diaspora here.
One should also mention the creation last year of the Chair of Neo- hellinistics in the foreign languages department in Taras Shevchenko National University in Kyiv which was followed by the opening of the Center you just mentioned. The Greek Embassy and the Greek state did their utmost for these projects to get off the ground and will further assist the development of science and education in Ukraine in future.
Let me reiterate that the Kyiv National University Greek majors are not ethnic Greeks. I undertook a moral commitment to help them find jobs with Greek firms operating in Kyiv. So far, I have been successful in my efforts as I am interested in how their careers will develop.
Do the Greeks show any interest in the Ukrainian language? Could a Ukrainian language and culture center be opened in the University of Athens?
I am convinced that my Ukrainian counterpart in Greece, Ambassador Serhiyev, has put these issues on his agenda and the time will come soon for the opening of the Ukrainian Language Chair at the University of Athens. Incidentally, the head of the Chair of Neo- Hellenistics at KNU, Prof. Nina Klymenko, is currently involved with a group of linguists compiling a Greek-Ukrainian dictionary.
What kind of projects will be implemented for the Greek community? Can we expect the opening of the long-awaited Greek cultural center in Kyiv?
A Center for the Federation of Greek Societies in Ukraine has been recently opened in Mariupol. A project is also underway to build two medical diagnostics centers in Donetsk and Mariupol with the money provided by the US Greek Diaspora. Naturally, these centers will be open to all patients, regardless of their nationality.
As to the cultural center project in Kyiv, the ideal solution would be if the Ukrainian side agreed to sell and the Greek side bought the building of Ypsilanti (6 Sichneve Povstannia St. —Author), which has great historical value for both countries.
Greece has always taken special pains to promote its culture in Ukraine. What cultural and scientific activities have been scheduled by the Greek Embassy?
Answering this question, I would like to commend the fruitful work done by the Fund for Greek Culture in Odesa which annually presents a very interesting and full program from March 20 through 25 which encompasses lectures, concerts, and art exhibitions by Ukrainian artists of Greek origin. Incidentally, such an exhibition could also be staged in Kyiv. We are also engaged in discussing a joint program of cultural events to mark the second millennium since the birth of Christ. It is especially in the realm of culture that one can clearly see that there are no limits for cooperation between Greece and Ukraine.
