Danish MFA's head visits Ukraine, announces million-dollar support for anti-corruption efforts
Lars Løkke Rasmussen, head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark (Photo: Getty Images)
The head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark, Lars Løkke Rasmussen, has arrived in Ukraine on a visit. He announced financial support for the fight against corruption in the country, according to the press service of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs reminds that Denmark has been leading the EU Anti-Corruption Initiative (EUACI) in Ukraine since 2016. During today's visit, Rasmussen announced support for the third stage of the program.
"Even before the illegal invasion by Russia, Ukraine achieved significant progress in combating corruption, and even during the war in the country, positive development was successfully continued. However, there are still areas for improvement, and for Ukraine's aspirations towards the EU, it is crucial that we help them achieve their goals," the minister stated.
It is noted that the European Union allocates more than 70 million Danish crowns (10.21 million dollars) for the next stage of the program, and Denmark, in turn, contributes slightly less - 60 million crowns (8.75 million dollars).
"Among other things, the program focuses on promoting transparency and integrity in the reconstruction of Mykolaiv through close cooperation with the mayor and his team," the press service writes.
In particular, the plan is to develop best practices for the reconstruction of Mykolaiv, which can be used in the future in other cities in Ukraine.
Meeting with Kuleba and embassy office opening
Rasmussen informed his Ukrainian counterpart, Dmytro Kuleba, about the program. The ministers met in Mykolaiv to officially open the new embassy office of Denmark.
They discussed how Denmark and Ukraine can further develop cooperation regarding Mykolaiv and how Copenhagen can continue to support Kyiv in the fight against Russian aggression.
"Ukraine is still fighting for the freedom and security of all of Europe. We must support it in this, which is why we are one of the countries providing the most support to Ukraine given our size. We bear a special responsibility for the reconstruction of Mykolaiv, and with the opening of the embassy office in the city, we can make reconstruction efforts more effective," said the head of the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Denmark's assistance to Ukraine
Copenhagen has already provided Ukraine with defense assistance of around 2.8 billion euros after Russia's large-scale invasion. It also delivered humanitarian aid worth 378 million euros.
Recently, the Danish government decided to provide Ukraine with a new support package totaling 1 billion euros and an additional 13.3 million dollars for cybersecurity development projects.
