Ukraine opens embassy in one more country
Photo: Ukraine opened an embassy in the Republic of Côte d'Ivoire (mfa.gov.ua)
On Thursday, April 11, the new Embassy of Ukraine in the Republic of Côte d'Ivoire officially opened. The office was opened by the order of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine.
"The opening of the Embassy of Ukraine in Cote d'Ivoire - a country that is rightly considered one of the leaders in the West African region, is explained, first of all, by our desire to intensify comprehensive cooperation with Ivorian partners,” a Special Representative of Ukraine for the Middle East and Africa Maksym Soubkh said during his speech.
During the visit, he also met with the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Cote d'Ivoire Ouattara Wautabouna and received a personal message from the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, Dmytro Kuleba.
Subkh expressed his gratitude to the Ivorian side for supporting the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine, which it has consistently demonstrated since 2014.
Political relations between Ukraine and Africa
Ukraine and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) established diplomatic relations back in 1999. However, this cooperation has intensified in recent years. In August 2022, President Zelenskyy held telephone talks with DRC leader Felix Tshosikedi.
The DRC was one of the few countries in sub-Saharan Africa to vote for the UN General Assembly resolution on "Territorial Integrity of Ukraine" in March 2014. It also voted positively on four out of six Ukrainian resolutions at the UN General Assembly following the start of full-scale Russian aggression.
The Embassy of Ukraine is located in the diplomatic quarter of the Congolese capital. Its work will help to intensify cooperation with Congolese partners, particularly in trade, agriculture, industry, energy, education, and information technology sectors.
Ukraine seeks allies beyond Europe
Since the onset of the full-scale Russian invasion, Kyiv has been noticeably more active on the diplomatic front, securing support from as many countries as possible and informing the world about what is really happening in Ukraine. This included Africa, Latin America, Asia, and the Middle East, or the so-called Global South.
Earlier, RBC-Ukraine wrote that last year, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy set the Ukrainian diplomatic service the task of opening new embassies in Africa.
In March 2024, the Consulate of the Democratic Republic of the Congo was officially opened in Uzhhorod.
