War in Ukraine: the historic center of Odessa listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site
People walk on a street in Odessa after a Russian bombardment on April 3, 2022. AP - Petros Giannakouris
Text by: RFI Follow
2 mins
The historic center of Odessa in Ukraine was inscribed this Wednesday on the list of World Heritage in Danger by Unesco because of the "
threats of destruction
" hovering over this site since the start of the Russian invasion.
A decision deemed "
political
" by Moscow.
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During a sometimes stormy extraordinary session of the World Heritage Committee in Paris, the inscription of Odessa, in the middle of the war, was voted by six votes in favor, one against (Russia) and 14 abstentions.
"
Odessa, a free city, a world city, a legendary port which has left its mark on cinema, literature and the arts, is thus placed under the reinforced protection of the international community
", welcomed the Director General of the United Nations Organization United for Education, Science and Culture (Unesco) Audrey Azoulay.
Although generally spared since the start of the Russian offensive in February 2022, Odessa, known in particular for its monumental Potemkin staircase and its architecture, has however been hit several times by Russian bombardments.
“
This is a colossal victory for the Odesites and for all of Ukraine,
rejoiced the mayor of the city Gennadi Troukhanov at the microphone of RFI.
The city really deserves our interest.
It has the status of a European city, it was built by great Italian architects, it was administered by the French, the Greeks… It was originally a European city.
This is why I feel joy and pride, especially because this is happening at a time when our armed forces are defending our independence.
Our soldiers are fighting today for every piece of our land.
We fought for our city, to preserve its cultural heritage
”.
“
A political decision
” according to Moscow
The conflict constitutes “
a danger for the historic center of Odessa
”, whose “
cultural heritage is threatened with destruction
”, had estimated the representative of Icomos, a specialized NGO partner of Unesco, presenting the file.
She also insisted on the multiethnic, multiconfessional and multicultural character of Odessa.
The mention "peril" makes it possible to constantly mobilize the international community to prevent the site from disappearing.
But above all, it opens up access to a number of international protection mechanisms.
Lazare Eloundou Assomo, Director of the UNESCO World Heritage Center
Juliette Gheerbrant
In a statement on Wednesday evening, the Russian Foreign Ministry denounced “
a political decision
” taken by “
a group of countries belonging to the collective West, with the flagrant help of the UNESCO secretariat, which has lost its impartiality
".
It is "
a diplomatic victory
", reacted for his part the first Ukrainian Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Emine Djeppar, whose President Volodymyr Zelensky had announced in October the candidacy of the historic center of Odessa.
The Ukrainian head of state welcomed, in his daily address, the "
protection provided by the world,
(while)
Russia can only provide terror and bombardments
".
(
With
AFP)
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