MSU Rector Mykola Trofymenko met with the First Lady of Lithuania and talked with Ukrainians abroad

On October 11, Mykola Trofymenko, the rector of Mariupol University, together with Kateryna Horiunova, the specialist of the Center for International Education of the Invincible University, and Vilma Bijeikienė, the vice-rector for international cooperation of the Vytauto Didžiojo universitetas, met with Diana Nausėdiėne, First Lady of Lithuania.

They spoke about the opening of the MSU Center which is located at the Lithuanian university and provides Ukrainian youth with access to higher education in the Motherland, they also noted the significance of the long-term cooperation between the two universities for the European integration of Ukraine.

Later, Rector Mykola Trofymenko and First Lady Diana Nausėdiėne participated in the discussion on the importance of the Ukrainian diaspora in the global context. Petro Beshta, the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Ukraine to the Republic of Lithuania, Ineta Dabašinskienė, institutional coordinator of the Transform4Europe alliance of Vytautas Magnus University, Yulia Dobroskok, Ukrainian activist, and representatives of the Ukrainian community who found refuge abroad due to the war, joined the conversation.

The Ukrainian Center, founded on the initiative of the first ladies of Ukraine and Lithuania in June 2022, organized the event.

"Lithuanian people know better than anyone about the difficult fate of those who lost their native home, consequently, do everything possible to give Ukrainians all the necessary support", – noted Diana Nausėdiėne, First Lady of Lithuania.

"You are the greatest treasure of the state. While staying here, you will learn a lot, master languages, gain experience, and become the best specialists to return home and develop our free European Ukraine", – MSU Rector Mykola Trofymenko addressed fellow citizens.

Ineta Dabašinskienė, coordinator of the Transform4Europe alliance, emphasized: "Today, everyone can recognize the Ukrainian flag and sing the national anthem together. The world did not know what leadership is, what heroism is, and what can be called freedom. Now everyone knows that this is Ukraine’’.