Photo: https://t.me/Ukraine_MFA
Austria will provide an additional EUR2 million in humanitarian aid to Ukraine, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha announced following bilateral talks with his Austrian counterpart Beate Meinl-Reisinger in Odesa.
“Austria is among the top ten largest investors in Ukraine. This once again proves that we can not only be helped, but also that we can be traded and invested in profitably. This is especially noticeable in Odesa – the entrepreneurial spirit creates the unique energy of this city,” Sybiha was quoted as saying in the Foreign Ministry’s Telegram channel on Wednesday.
Meinl-Reisinger also announced Austria’s decision to join the Civil Protection Shelter Coalition. In addition, the country is preparing to host around 550 Ukrainian children for rehabilitation holidays. In total, the governments of the Austrian federal states and charitable foundations have organized them for around 1,480 Ukrainian children between 2022 and 2024.
The parties discussed the implementation of the decisions taken and the execution of the documents signed during the visit of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and First Lady Olena Zelenska to Vienna in June. They also paid special attention to the further involvement of the Austrian architectural school in Odesa in the context of the restoration of the Ukrainian port city.
“We have high hopes for Austria in the post-war restoration of Ukraine. The regional partnership between Odesa region and the federal state of Upper Austria, concluded in June during the president’s visit, should play an important role for Odesa. This month, the heads of the two regions will meet in Linz, the capital of Upper Austria,” noted Sybiha.
The head of the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry thanked Austria for its leadership in financial contributions to President Zelenskyy’s “Grain from Ukraine” initiative and noted that, together with the additional EUR 2 million announced in March, the total amount of Austrian support will amount to EUR 9.6 million.
Meinl-Reisinger confirmed Austria’s support for the independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine.
“I am very grateful to Andriy Sybiha for our meeting today. It was important for me to personally confirm Austria’s full support for the independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine. Thank you for the valuable exchange of views – we will continue to support Ukraine,” she wrote on the social network X on Wednesday.
Meinl-Reisinger is on his third visit to Ukraine since his appointment in March this year.