Ukraine will set up three diplomatic missions and open three consulates this year to strengthen the country’s position in the international arena, Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said during an online briefing on March 5.
According to the official, the missions in Ghana, the Philippines and Chile, which are currently branches of other countries’ embassies, will be transformed into fully-fledged stand-alone embassies in the near future.
“Ukraine has already begun work on opening new embassies and consulates in the world,” the Foreign Minister stated during the briefing.
Opening an embassy in the Republic of Ghana would increase Ukraine’s influence in Africa, Kuleba explained. This goes with the ministry’s last year statement about Ukraine’s interest to “develop new dynamic cooperation” with African states. The Foreign Affairs Ministry had prioritized greater focus on Africa in 2021.
The minister also explained that the Philippines is a “very difficult” country and it will be important to bring it around towards closer support of Ukraine’s initiatives in international organizations. Ukrainian businesses have a rising interest in closer trade relations with the archipelagic nation.
Ukraine also plans to open new consulates in Poland, Romania and India.
Millions of people from Ukraine work in Poland. Kuleba believes that opening a consular office in Wroclaw, a city in western Poland with a population close to 640,000, would help Ukrainian migrants more effectively.
In addition, Ukraine plans to open a consulate in Sighetu Marmatiei, a city of 40,000 in northwest Romania, to support the Ukrainian community there and create access to quality services that would strengthen Ukrainian-Romanian relations.
India’s densely-populated financial center, Mumbai, was also chosen for a new Ukrainian consulate. The minister sees it as a huge business opportunity for Ukrainians, as well as an excellent way to attract foreign investment.
“I promise, as a minister, that these embassies and consulates will be established quickly, that we will appoint professional people there,” Kuleba said.
