UNESCO not to blacklist St. Sophia in Kiev so Far

Kiev, August 6, Interfax – UNESCO at its Brazil session has decided to give Ukrainians an opportunity to get rid of the things that make experts exclude St. Sophia Cathedral in Kiev and the Kiev Laura of the Caves from the World Heritage List.

The reason for blacklisting St. Sophia Cathedral is construction works in the preserved area, however the Ukrainian delegation produced enough arguments to suspend the negative decision on Kiev architectural sites, ICTV reported.

UNESCO considers “St. Sophia in Kiev” and Kiev Laura of the Caves one complex. Experts’ preliminary reports were so negative that the objects should have been included in the “black list” without further discussion. However, the Ukrainian side managed to prove that the situation can be corrected and promised to introduce unified rules of building in buffer zones and historical center of Kiev.

“We think it practical to draw the line under the issue and finally solve the question of what can be done in these zones and how it can be done,” first deputy head of the State Service on Cultural Heritage Yakov Dikhtiyar told the TV channel.

UNESCO World Heritage List in Ukraine includes Kiev Laura of the Caves, St. Sophia Cathedral, historical center of Lvov, Carpathian beech forests and part of Struve Geodetic Arc that goes along the country.

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