The Italian government does not support the decision to allow Russia to participate in the Venice Biennale, since this decision was made by the independent foundation that organizes the exhibition.
This was stated by Deputy Prime Minister – Minister of Culture Tetiana Berezhna during a television broadcast.
“The Ministry of Culture of Italy, our partners, issued a statement in which they also noted that the Biennale Foundation independently made the decision on Russia’s participation despite the government’s position. That is, we understand that in Italy the Biennale is organized by a private foundation that is independent of the government. And the Italian government condemns this decision,” Berezhna said.
She noted that Ukraine continues to work with the Italian side and European partners to prevent Russia’s participation in the exhibition.
“The Biennale will take place in May this year, so there is very little time left. But I am confident that the steps we plan to take — technical, legal, and instrumental steps together with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs — will strengthen our position and make Russia’s participation in the Biennale impossible,” Berezhna emphasized.
According to her, Ukraine is preparing a very strong pavilion — “Security Guarantees,” which tells the world that security guarantees must be strong and effective.
The minister added that for Ukraine the Biennale is an important platform to demonstrate this political signal.
