The World Heritage Committee of UNESCO has decided at the 37th UNESCO session being held in Cambodia that Kyiv Pechersk Lavra, and St. Sofia Cathedral and related monastery buildings would remain on the World Heritage List.

"I would like to congratulate you and Ukrainian society with the fact that as of now, this issue is off the agenda and, God willing, forever. We hope this issue will never be raised again," Ukrainian Culture Minister Leonid Novokhatko said at a briefing on June 19.

Representatives of Germany and Switzerland took an active stance during the vote at the committee's meeting with criticism of Ukraine, while Russia, Japan, Algeria and some other countries supported Ukraine, Novokhatko said.

The issue of possible exclusion of the Ukrainian monuments has been raised repeatedly at the previous UNESCO sessions but the issue is completely off the agenda now after the June 19 vote, Novokhatko said. At the same time, the Ukrainian delegation expects positive results during the vote on the possible inclusion of such Ukrainian monuments as the Khersones National Reserve and a wooden church in the Carpathian region.