International delegations from all over the world visit Odesa region almost every week. Over the past year, there have been more than 100 visits, including American diplomat Kurt Volker, UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi, and British Foreign Secretary David Cameron. UNN asked experts what attracts foreign partners to Odesa region.
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Odesa is one of the key cities visited by international delegations, stated political scientist Volodymyr Fesenko.
"Traditionally, Kyiv, Kharkiv, Dnipro, Lviv and Odesa are the most visited cities. I think that this is partly due to the fact that some trips are made at the request of the president. It is partly due to the fact that the region is not far from the war zone, and at the same time it is the rear. Odesa is a city that makes it possible to assess the situation in the south of Ukraine, where there is infrastructure to accommodate foreign delegations, and it is easier to get to than, for example, Dnipro," he said.
The expert also called Odesa region a traditionally promising region where the interests of different countries are represented.
"This is the Black Sea region. Traditionally, Odesa was the capital of the Ukrainian Black Sea region. And there are also various ethnic groups from Eastern Europe. And Odesa is one of the Ukrainian cities that is best known in Europe and the world. That is, there are economic, infrastructural, historical and political factors," he said.
Political scientist Yaroslav Bozhko shares his colleague's opinion. Odesa region is interesting for its foreign economic and investment policy, the expert says.
"Very often, visits at the regional level are related to trade policy. These can be visits by representatives of countries that are actively engaged in maritime policy or that border Odesa region. As a rule, the visit of a regional diplomat is to some extent related to the specifics of the city he or she visits. Diplomats also visit a particular region because of old acquaintances. Perhaps with someone in the government. Therefore, if a diplomat understands that the region itself is interesting, and if he understands that a decent event is planned, he will go there," he comments.
Yesterday in Odesa region, American diplomat Kurt Volker met with the head of the Odesa Regional State Administration Oleh Kiper. They talked about assistance in providing air defense systems, demining the Black Sea, and free navigation.