President of Met meets with Kuchma

KYIV - William H. Luers, president of The Metropolitan Museum of Art and Peter Herwe, chief executive director of ICTV, a Western-owned media organization, met with President Leonid Kuchma in Kyiv on March 13.

The meeting took place two days after the opening of the "Glory of Byzantium" exhibition at The Metropolitan on March 11.

Greeting the president in Ukrainian, Mr. Luers expressed acknowledgment and appreciation for Ukraine's participation in the exhibition, noting that the treasures of Kyivan Rus' form the core of the rich cultural heritage of Ukraine and the basis for its continued development today.

He went on to say that cooperation between the U.S. and Ukraine in the cultural sphere permits both sides to become better acquainted and contributes to the cultural enrichment of both.

President Kuchma was presented with the exhibition catalogue on this occasion. He expressed his gratitude for the opportunity to exhibit medieval treasures of Ukraine at The Metropolitan Museum in New York.

Also discussed at the meeting were issues related to mutual cooperation and investment opportunities in Ukraine. Messrs. Luers and Herwe briefed the president on ICTV's investment plans and expressed their desire to set up expert teams for facilitating investment processes in Ukraine. Mr. Luers is a member of the boards of directors of several major companies, including a company that is a co-founder of ICTV.

Mr. Luers, as member of the board of directors of the East-West Institute, also extended an invitation to President Kuchma to attend an upcoming conference in New York devoted to the development of democracy and reforms in Eastern Europe, which is to open simultaneously with the General Assembly at the United Nations. The president gratefully accepted the invitation.

Also present at the meeting was William Green Miller, U.S. ambassador to Ukraine.

Copyright © The Ukrainian Weekly, March 23, 1997, No. 12, Vol. LXV

| Home Page |