On Tuesday, 28 January 2025, a multilateral meeting took place at the premises of the Media Center Directorate. Among the participants were Eduard Balashov, Rector of the National University of Ostroh Academy, Ihor Pavlenko, Deputy Head of the Rivne Regional Military Administration, and representatives of the foreign diplomatic corps: Ambassadors Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Albania Ernal Filo and Egypt Barakat Ali Elleithy, as well as the staff members of the Embassies of Azerbaijan, Slovakia, and the United States.
Pavlo Kryvonos, GDIP Director-General, opened the event with a welcoming address and emphasised the meeting’s primary objectives: to introduce foreign diplomats to representatives of the Rivne region in order to establish business contacts and explore the prospects for future cooperation with this region, as well as to present the Ostroh Academy — the oldest higher education institution in Eastern Europe — and its long-standing fruitful cooperation with the GDIP.
‘Our primary goal as the organisers of today’s meeting is to introduce you to the Rector of the oldest academy in Eastern Europe and to extend an invitation to visit this esteemed institution. There, you will immerse yourselves in the unique atmosphere of science, explore its halls and museums, get acquainted with distinguished professors and ambitious students,’ said Mr Kryvonos.
He also shared the accomplishments of the Diplomatic Forum, a joint project held at Ostroh Academy in 2019, 2020, 2021, and 2023, which featured both in-person visits of foreign delegations to the university and online discussions during the COVID-19 pandemic. By successfully running five international forums, representatives of foreign diplomatic missions accredited in Ukraine had a great opportunity to share their professional experience with the younger generation of future Ukrainian diplomats and assess the level of academic training of international experts at Ostroh Academy.
Inna Khomenska, Head of the Media Centre Directorate, moderated the event and thanked the foreign diplomatic corps for participating in the multilateral meeting and noted that such initiatives contribute to a better understanding of the ways of cooperation with the regions of Ukraine and Ukrainian higher education institutions.
In his speech, Rector Eduard Balashov spoke about the Ostroh Academy, its history and present, the formats of education, the organisation of the educational process during the war, and invited foreign diplomats to visit the Academy:
‘This will give you the opportunity to become acquainted with the oldest higher educational institution in Ukraine, founded by Prince Vasyl-Kostiantyn Ostrozkyi in the 16th century. You will see the revived Ostroh Academy and experience the depth and complexity of the questions that you might receive from our students.’
Mr Balashov also thanked the GDIP, represented by Pavlo Kryvonos, for the strong faith and unwavering support of the Academy’s graduates, as well as for providing them with opportunities to improve their professional skills while working with foreign diplomats.
The cooperation between the GDIP and the Ostroh Academy has been ongoing since 2018. In addition to implementing joint cultural diplomacy events and projects, the enterprise is an internship ground for the Academy’s students. And those students who proved themselves to be the best in their internships were offered jobs at the GDIP and have been working here ever since.
The Ostroh Academy graduates shared their memories of studying at the university and reflected on their career paths: Romana Kasiianchuk, Head of the Advertising and Publishing Department of the Media Center Directorate, Inna Havinska, Deputy Head of the Advertising and Publishing Department of the Media Center Directorate, Arsen Stupen, Leading Contract Economist of the Real Estate and Contracts Department of the Managing Directorate, Ryta Slavinska, Leading Legal Adviser of the Legal Department of the Managing Directorate, and Valerii Prytula, Adviser to the Director-General. Recalling their years of study at their alma mater, they also thanked the university teachers for the wonderful memorable moments and wished the university academic prosperity.
For his part, Ihor Pavlenko, Deputy Head of the Rivne Regional State Administration, highlighted the prospects for expanding international cooperation with the region: trade agreements with other countries, trade with Europe, the region’s timber industry, active work in the agricultural and IT sectors, and educational projects in the region.
‘The Rivne region seeks to strengthen international cooperation at the interregional level. Today, our communities are actively building inter-municipal cooperation, and we have reached a little further than the border. Therefore, I invite everyone to visit the Rivne region, and we will surely find ways to cooperate,’ said Mr Pavlenko.
After the addresses, representatives of the foreign diplomatic corps eagerly asked questions. The event concluded with an informal networking session.
