The Diplomat The director of the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID), Antón Leis, has made an official visit to Ukraine with the aim of strengthening the ties of humanitarian and cultural cooperation between both Spain and this country in areas such as health, energy and the protection of cultural heritage. During the visit, which took place last week, Leis visited various cities and held meetings with local authorities and representatives of international organizations. In these meetings, according to a press release from AECID, the director highlighted the importance of Ukraine in the new VI Master Plan for Spanish Cooperation, whose approval coincided with his arrival in the country. His first stop was Lviv, a world heritage city and an important center for the care of wounded in the rearguard. In this city, Leis visited the Vynnyky veterans hospital, from where 156 wounded have already been evacuated to Spain to receive medical care. "Health is one of AECID's humanitarian priorities in Ukraine, with special attention to women and children victims of war," Leis said on his X account. In his meetings with local authorities, three main priorities were identified: access to energy and preparation for winter, care for wounded and internally displaced persons, and cultural cooperation and protection of heritage. The director met with the governor of Lviv, Maksym Kozytskyi, and visited the construction site of the cultural hub together with UNESCO officials, Chiara Dezzi Bardeschi, the head of the Executive Committee of the city of Lviv, Natalia Alekseeva, and a representative of the architects responsible for the work. He also held an exchange with the Association of Hispanists of Ukraine, supported by the AECID and the Embassy of Spain in Kyiv since its creation in 2009. Leis' visit also included a meeting in Kyiv with Spaniards working in international organizations and NGOs, where they discussed the situation in the country, the humanitarian and reconstruction projects of the AECID, as well as the reform of the Spanish Cooperation and the new Statute of Cooperators, recently approved last Tuesday, July 23. During his stay in Kyiv, Leis visited the Okhmatdyt pediatric hospital, which was bombed on July 8, and met with Deputy Minister of Health Serhii Dubrov and the hospital director to discuss AECID support in the health sector and opportunities for expanding cooperation. He also met with Minister for Reconstruction of Ukraine Vasyl Shkurakov, with the participation of a representative of the Agency for Reconstruction of Ukraine, and visited the Kyiv regional perinatal hospital together with partners from the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and UNFPA Ukraine. At this hospital, he highlighted one of the 30 ambulances and mobile incubators funded by AECID, delivered by Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares in November 2022. These incubators continue to assist women and babies throughout Ukraine.
