he First Charitable Diplomatic Christmas Fair is taking place in Odesa.

The organizers of the fair were Odessa diplomatic club with the support of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine in Odessa.

The framework of the fair includes performances of national and cultural groups, with exclusive auction lots of diplomatic missions.

The money raised will be used to purchase medical equipment for the Odesa Regional Children’s Hospital.

“This kind of fair has already been held in our capital. We thought that Odesa, as the saying goes, “is not the first city, but not the second either”, and decided to make this tradition here. The event involves all the diplomatic missions accredited in Odesa — 10 consulates general, the mission of the European Union, 4 honorary consulates, cultural centres”, said MFA representative in Odesa Konstantin Rzhepishevsky at the opening ceremony.

“Odesa is the cultural capital of Ukraine, all the beautiful traditions of our city can make it even better and brighter. This Christmas fair, I believe, is the beginning of new traditions, all the more so Odesa has always been known for its charity. Both the Opera House, and the monument to Pushkin were erected at the expense of the citizens, so the tradition of philanthropy has always been alive in Odesa”, added Odesa Governor Eduard Matviychuk.