On February 3, Minister for Veterans Affairs of Ukraine Yulia Laputina held a videoconference with Minister-Member of the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Poland Michal Dworczyk. The parties discussed attracting assistance from Polish partners in the construction of a modern rehabilitation facility, the Borodyanka Center, a flagship project of the Ministry for Veterans Affairs. It is to replace the Center for Social and Psychological Rehabilitation in Borodyanka (Kyiv region) destroyed by a tank hit from the russian occupiers.
The videoconference was also attended by Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Ukraine to the Republic of Poland Vasyl Zvarych, Deputy Ministers for Veterans Affairs of Ukraine Ihor Yaremenko and Yevgeny Kotyk, heads of sectoral departments of the Ministry. The event was a continuation of a previous working meeting between Yulia Laputina and Michal Dworczyk in August last year to strengthen cooperation on veterans’ policies.
The Head of the Ministry for Veterans Affairs presented to her Polish counterpart a visualized project of the future Center, described its technical characteristics and rehabilitation capabilities. This institution will provide comprehensive psychosocial recovery services not only to veterans and their families, but also to the affected civilian population. At the same time, it will become a scientific platform for researching the causes and consequences of the phenomenon of genocide of the Ukrainian people by the russian occupiers.
Moreover, the restoration of the Borodyanka Center is patronized by President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who has already donated $100,000 for its reconstruction, a monetary reward that he received along with the Medal of Freedom, awarded by the United States to prominent world figures, said Yulia Laputina.
“We are raising and accumulating funds from our national and international partners for this project, and we are open to cooperation with you and to Polish participation in the reconstruction of our Center. We have an ambitious goal – to open it on the anniversary of Ukraine’s Independence on August 24 with the joint participation of our presidents and governments,” the Minister said.
In turn, Michal Dworczyk emphasized the interest of the Polish side in strengthening cooperation with the Ministry for Veterans Affairs on medical care and psychological rehabilitation of veterans and their families, as well as active participation in the implementation of relevant projects and programs of the ministry. He noted that his office would examine in detail the proposed project to rebuild the rehabilitation facility in Borodyanka and determine the amount of funds needed to start construction at this stage.
“We can also provide the necessary construction materials from Polish manufacturers. In addition, with the help of one of our governmental funds, we could equip the Center according to modern standards. We will soon pass on our proposals to you,” emphasized Michal Dworczyk.
Following the meeting, the parties agreed to finalize all technical issues related to attracting Polish investments in the construction of the Borodyanka Center. (Government portal/Business World Magazine)