On 20 September, in the framework of the G7 Culture Ministers' Meeting, Minister of Culture and Strategic Communications Mykola Tochytskyi held bilateral talks with Deputy Secretary General of the Ministry of Culture of France Aude Accary-Bonnery. The participants discussed strengthening cooperation in the protection of Ukraine's cultural heritage and its presence on all important art platforms in France.

At the beginning of the meeting, Mykola Tochytskyi, Minister of Culture and Strategic Communications of Ukraine, expressed his gratitude to France for its support in preserving Ukrainian cultural heritage.

"We appreciate the powerful signal of support for Ukrainian cultural heritage reflected in the Naples Declaration of the G7 Culture Ministers, which was adopted today. I also thank you for joining and supporting important international efforts to restore and preserve Ukraine's cultural sector, in particular the Vilnius Call for Action," said Mykola Tochytskyi.

Another important aspect of the meeting was the discussion of the joint fight against russian disinformation and the narrative that associates everything with russia. The Minister stressed the need to change this approach in French society.

In addition, the participants of the meeting discussed Ukrainian-French cultural relations. Mykola Tochytskyi emphasised Ukraine's interest in further developing cooperation with the French Ministry of Culture, ONDA, the Directorate of the Festival d’Avignon and other well-known organisations. In particular, organising a tour of the Ivan Franko National Drama Academic Theatre in France with the play Caligula by Camus as an anti-totalitarian, anti-dictatorial theatre manifesto, as well as co-productions with other Ukrainian institutions.

The issue of restoring Ukraine's historical and cultural heritage within the framework of international discussions has been and will be extremely important for us in the coming years. We are interested in launching separate programmes with institutions such as the Louvre and the École du Louvre, aimed at preserving and restoring works of art. We are also interested in cooperation and exchange of experience with the Ministry of Culture of France. In particular, this concerns the harmonisation of Ukrainian cultural legislation with European standards in the framework of negotiations on Ukraine's accession to the EU," the Minister said.

As a result of the talks, the parties agreed to cooperate in the field of strategic communications, as well as to exchange experience in the development of cultural initiatives.