The Cyprus Institute (CyI) and the V.I. Vernadskyi National Library of Ukraine (VNLU) will sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to collaborate on joint research and educational activities that highlight the historical and cultural relations between Ukraine and Cyprus.

A pilot collaborative project will concentrate on the travel account of Vasiliy Barskyi who visited Cyprus in the 18th century. With the support of the Embassy of Ukraine in Republic of Cyprus, researchers from Ukraine and Cyprus will study and digitize the manuscript of the famous monk and pilgrim, who travelled across Eastern Europe and the Eastern Mediterranean in the 18th Century. Among the places he visited was Cyprus, producing wonderful descriptions and drawings of his travels. CyI and the V.I. Vernadskyi National Library of Ukraine will cooperate for supporting further research on the history and culture of Cyprus and Ukraine using Barskyi’s travels to communicate the historical cultural relations between the two countries. The interdisciplinary study of Barskyi’s passage through Cyprus has been a focus of interest and work by researchers from the Andreas Pittas Art Characterization Laboratories / STARC.