Greece has offered to support Ukraine with the reconstruction of Odessa, just weeks after also pledging to help rebuild a hospital in war-torn Mariupol.
Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias made the announcement on Sunday in the Ukrainian port city as he expressed Greece’s solidarity with the country’s people.
“I came here to reiterate the support of the Greek government and to manifest the close relation we have with Odessa, its past, and may I express the hope, with its future,” Dendias said after a meeting with Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Olga Stefanishyna.
“What is clear even beyond the smoke of today’s bombs is that Odessa will have a bright future,” the minister said. “We are going to be part of this future by helping you reconstruct this city and make it even more beautiful, even better.”
Dendias’ visit follows a pledge two weeks ago by Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis to help rebuild a hospital in the city of Mariupol.
Mitsotakis said Greece is ready to rebuild a maternity hospital destroyed by Russian shelling.
“I want to express my abhorrence for what is happening in Ukraine and in Mariupol in particular, which has become a symbol of resistance,” the prime minister said. “You know of our specific interest, as there are more than 100,000 Ukrainians of Greek descent living there.”
“As a minimum show of support, once the hostilities are over, the Greek government will take on the reconstruction of the maternity hospital in Mariupol that was bombed,” he said.
Featured image: A damaged building in Ukraine’s second largest city Kharkiv after Russian shelling. (Photograph by Sergey Bobok/AFP via Getty Images)
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