Rome, 11 July 2025 - At the Ukraine Recovery Conference 2025, hosted on 10 and 11 July by the Italian Government in Rome, an important Memorandum of Understanding was signed by the Ukrainian Sea Ports Authority (USPA) and the Western Ligurian Sea Port Authority, with the objective to promote and strengthen stable relations between the two major port ranges.
With the participation at the signing ceremony of the Italian Vice Minister for Infrastructure and Transport Edoardo Rixi, the agreement, undersigned by the Government Commissioner of the Western Ligurian Sea Port Authority Matteo Paroli and the Director General of USPA Oleksander Semyrga, contains cooperation provisions in certain key areas, namely, digitalisation, environmental sustainability , maritime safety and security, promotion of trade relations and investments, training programmes with exchange visits, and infrastructure development.
The signing ceremony was held during the fourth edition of the Ukraine Recovery Conference, organised with the support of the European Union, the United Nations and other international organisms. The event was attended by over 8,300 delegates, including 15 Heads of State, 40 Foreign Affairs Ministers, a dozen EU Commissioners, 40 international organisations and 2,000 businesses. The conference has secured over 10 billion euros in international commitments, across approximately 200 agreements, marking a significant step towards the reconstruction of Ukraine’s economy and infrastructure.
The memorandum sealed today between the Ukraine Ports and Italy’s premier port, for an initial five-year period, is a first major step towards the bridging of the Black Sea and the Mediterranean Sea, in support of the economic recovery of the war-torn country and the consolidation of the Italian ports’ strategic role on an international scale.
The Ukrainian Sea Ports Authority, established in 2013 in Odessa, coordinates port infrastructure in Ukraine and governs the major seaports across the country. Notwithstanding the difficult conditions caused by the ongoing conflict, the USPA continues to implement development programmes in innovation, safety and security, and digitalisation, supported by international cooperation partnerships and a firm commitment to relaunching the national logistics industry.
The historic relations between Odessa and Genoa, promoted further by the sister-city agreement in force since 1979, represent a prime component of this new memorandum: the city-ports have strong historical long-term ties both in terms of international trade and cultural affinities. Today’s agreement heralds a tangible form of collaboration between port authorities which looks firmly ahead towards the achievement of the reconstruction, enhanced Euro-Mediterranean integration and infrastructure stability of the continent.
Following the signing ceremony, Matteo Paroli, Government Commissioner of the Western Ligurian Sea Port Authority, declared: “To be here today, in my capacity as Commissioner of the Ports of Genoa and Savona-Vado, and to have been invited to stand alongside the Italian Government in this momentous path of cooperation with Ukraine, is a source of great pride, both on a personal level and for our Port Authority overall. This Memorandum of Understanding with the Ukrainian Sea Ports Authority is not only a symbolic gesture, but it represents our staunch support towards the establishment of a solid and stable form of collaboration. We shall put at their full disposal our know-how in strategic areas like the construction of port infrastructure, cyber security and environmental protection, sectors in which our ports are referred to worldwide as models for best-practices. It is for us an honour to flank Ukraine in these difficult times, and to assist a country which, notwithstanding three years of war, has shown ceaseless dedication to the reconstruction of its strategic assets. It is a responsibility which we undertake with firm commitment, confident that the cooperation between our ports represents a prime driver towards the rebuilding, growth and, above all, dialogue between our communities.”
