Press Release

The opening of the photographic exhibition 'MARIUPOL & ODESA. Stories of Resistance' took place on February 22nd with great success in the hall of the Consulate General of Greece in New York,on the second anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.The exhibition is under the auspices of the Consulate General of Greece in New York, in cooperation with the Consulate General of Ukraine in New York, the Union of Greeks of Ukraine in Greece and the Federation of Greek Societies of Ukraine.

The coordination of the event and the presentation of the speakers was undertaken by Mrs. Svitlana Petropoulou, an ethnic Greek from the Azov region of Ukraine, Director of Public Diplomacy Department of the Union of Greeks of Ukraine in Greece.Mrs. Petropoulou referred to the Exhibition, stressing that the Exhibition is dedicated to the heroes of the resistance and defense of Mariupol and Odessa, cities that constitute historical cradles of Hellenism.

She also underlined that this exhibition is the product of the work of photographers who lost their lives during the siege of Mariupol and its merciless bombardment by the Russian invaders, and then she presented a video on the 10 years of resistance in Ukraine. Also, she referredto the documentary "20 Days in Mariupol" which will be shown on February 23rd on DCTV.A minute's silence followed for the Ukrainians who died on the battlefields.

Welcoming the distinguished guests, the Consul General of Greece in New York, Ambassador Dinos Konstantinou, in his address saidthat for two years now Ukraine has been suffering a war, facing unimaginable obstacles and difficulties with great civilian casualties, the destruction of their families and communities. Yet despite the chaos and destruction, the morale of Ukrainians remains intact and is an inspiration of democracy for the peoples of Europe.

For Greece, supporting Ukraine is a position of principle as for Greece - which in the past has faced unhistorical revisionisms - changing borders because of military power can never be accepted.And that is why it will never recognize such changes that Russia seeks by force, or any violation of international law, illegal occupation, or similar fait accompli.Greece has long-standing relations with Ukraine, due to the centuries-long presence of Hellenism in Mariupol and Odessa, the city that was the cradle of the Filiki Etairia (Society of Friends) that organized the Greek Revolution, but also in Kiev and other Ukrainian cities, the Consul General of Greece stressed, adding that Russian aggression against Ukraine poses a threat not only to European stability, but also to global peace and security.

On behalf of the Greek Foreign Ministry, Special Envoy of Greece for Ukraine, Ambassador Spyridon Lambridis, noted that he was particularly moved by the Exhibition as he had visited the region in 2004 during the Olympic torch relay and had admired a society full of life, young people full of enthusiasm, and when he visited these areas again after the outbreak of the war, he saw the chaos and destruction brought about by the suffering of the war.

Mrs. Nataliia Musiienko, Consul of Cultural and Public Diplomacy of the Consulate General of Ukraine in New York, in her address, thanked everyone for their support for Ukraine and referred to the Memorandum for the Reconstruction of Ukraine.

The opening event of the Exhibition was also addressed by Mrs. Nina Plechak, Vice-President of the Union of Greeks of Ukraine in Greece and Vice-President of the Federation of Greek Societies in Ukraine,who stressed that the language and culture of the Hellenism of Ukraine face the threat of extinction following the Russian invasion.Before the invasion over 91.000 Greeks lived in Ukraine and 85% of them, about 77.000, lived in the region of Azov and Donbas.During Russia's two-year invasion of Ukraine, 44% of Greek villages have passed into the hands of Russian forces, while the cradle of Hellenism Mariupol was destroyed at a rate of 95%.Also, the historically important city for the Greeks, Odessa, is under constant attack by the enemy, while the Greeks in the Russian occupied areas are subjected to humiliation by the Russian conquerors.At the end, stressing that for the Ukrainians the war is their struggle for freedom, democracy and the support of altars and hearths, she thanked the Consul General for Greece's support to Ukraine and a presentation of gifts followed.

Then the music duo MALVY of Kalyna and Uliana Leshchuk performed songs about Ukraine, playing the traditional Ukrainian musical instrument bandura.

The event was attended by the Permanent Representative of Greece to the United Nations, Ambassador Evangelos Sekeris, the Chargé d'Affaires of Japan Endo Akira, the Consul General of Estonia Tarmo Punnik, Austria Helene Steinhaeusl, Georgia Bartaia Maia, Finland Jarmo Sareva, and the Deputy Consuls of Turkey Tugay Sen, the Czech Republic Kaplan Michal, and  Poland Debowicz Mateusz.