Cultural diplomacy: building new bridges between Ukraine and Estonia
The communications director of the Association of Ukrainian Organisations in Estonia met the newly appointed Ambassador of Estonia to Ukraine
On 21 August in Kyiv, Inna Hordiienko, Communications Director of the Association of Ukrainian Organisations in Estonia, met the newly appointed Ambassador of Estonia to Ukraine, Tiina Intelmann.
Ms Tiina is one of Estonia’s most experienced diplomats, with more than 30 years of experience in international relations. That makes it especially valuable that one of the main topics of the conversation was cultural diplomacy and its role in bringing our countries and societies closer together.
Inna Hordiienko spoke about the work of the Association, which has united Ukrainian organisations in Estonia for more than 25 years, and about our key cultural and media projects: the “Vyshyvanka Unites” festival, the Ukrainian Film Club in Estonia and “Radio Druzi”.
They also discussed the “Days of Estonian Cinema in Ukraine”, which we held for the first time last year at the Zhovten cinema in Kyiv with the support of the Embassy of Estonia in Ukraine. Five Estonian films with Ukrainian subtitles were presented to Ukrainian audiences.
For us this project was born from a very simple but important idea: if we want real partnership between countries, we must get to know each other more deeply — through history, culture, memory, experience and even the traumas of our societies. And cinema is one of the strongest tools for this.
That is why during the meeting Inna proposed making the “Days of Estonian Cinema in Ukraine” an annual project. The Ambassador supported the importance of cultural initiatives that help Ukrainians and Estonians understand each other better and stressed that culture remains an important focus of her attention.
It is especially important to see that culture is perceived not as an “add-on” to big politics but as a real bridge between societies.
At the end of the meeting, Inna Hordiienko presented the Ambassador with a Ukrainian gerdan (a traditional beaded necklace) with a trident, made by Tetiana Matveichuk, a Ukrainian craftswoman living in Estonia.
A small Ukrainian symbol at the start of a new diplomatic chapter of Estonia in Ukraine — as a sign of friendship between our countries.
We sincerely thank Ms Tiina Intelmann for her openness to dialogue, the sincere conversation and her readiness for new joint ideas.