Volodymyr Sheiko, Director General of the Ukrainian Institute, hailed the opening of a representative office in the Netherlands as a significant achievement. He noted that the Netherlands is now the third country to host a representative office of the Ukrainian Institute.
Sheiko said this in an interview with an Ukrinform correspondent in The Hague.
“This is an important event for us, as it marks the continued expansion of the Ukrainian Institute’s international network. Since 2023, our representative offices have been operational in Berlin and Paris. Now, we have established a position for a representative of the Ukrainian Institute in the Netherlands,” Sheiko said.
Yulia Malynovska, selected through an open competition, will serve as the institute’s representative. She brings extensive experience in cultural collaboration between Ukraine and the Netherlands, having previously worked as a cultural attaché at the Ukrainian Embassy in the Netherlands. Sheiko noted that this initiative has been made possible through cooperation with Dutch Culture, a partner institution, and with the support of the Dutch Ministry of Education, Culture, and Science.
“Currently, the position is set to last until the end of this year. However, we have already had talks with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands and the Ministry of Culture that our ambition is a long-term presence, and even expand in the future to a full-fledged representation, a team of specialists,” he said.
He noted that the Dutch side responded positively to the initiative, recognizing that cultural diplomacy is a long-term effort. “Cultural diplomacy operates in a way where the seeds we plant today may flourish years later, yielding results and benefits for Ukraine,” he said.
As Ukrinform reported, two more suspects in the theft of Romanian artifacts from a museum were detained in the Netherlands.
