Ukraine will open new embassies in Africa and wants to develop a qualitatively new partnership, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba has said in his address on the occasion of Africa Day and the 60th anniversary of the founding of the Organisation of African Unity (African Union).
According to him, our country is "intensifying its foreign policy on Africa, aimed at the Ukrainian-African renaissance" and supports the idea of the African Union becoming a permanent member of G20.
"We have recently approved our first African Strategy of the MFA and intensified political dialogue with many countries on the continent. This year we are going to open new embassies in different parts of Africa and plan to hold the first Ukraine-Africa summit. I invite the leaders of your countries to take part in this important event," Kuleba said.
The foreign minister also invited African countries to join the implementation of the peace formula because of Russian aggression and stressed that supporting Ukraine "does not mean being pro-Western or anti-Western". "It is about respecting the UN Charter, the international legal order, and the right of every nation to choose its own peaceful path of development," Kuleba said.
He noted that food security is an important element of the peace formula, especially important for African countries.
"Even in this difficult time of war, Ukraine is making every effort to maintain its role as a guarantor of food security in Africa and many other regions of the world. Despite Russia's naval blockade of our seaports, we managed to partially unblock Ukrainian exports with the help of the UN and Turkey. Since then, we have been actively defending the grain initiative against Russia's attempts to undermine it. Its recent extension has brought significant relief to both our farmers and partners abroad, particularly in Africa," the Minister said.
The day before, during his visit to Ethiopia, Dmytro Kuleba met the chairperson of the African Union, President of the Union of the Comoros, Azali Assoumani, and the chairperson of the African Union Commission, Moussa Faki Mahamat. During the meeting, Kuleba called on African countries to support Ukraine's peace formula and demand that Russia stop obstructing the Black Sea grain corridor and blocking Ukrainian ports.
According to Kuleba, Ukraine has already significantly intensified its interaction with African countries in international organisations, is stepping up cooperation in food security, and is actively sharing the experience of Ukrainian military diplomacy and countering information threats.
At the meeting, the parties agreed to make contacts and consultations at all levels between the Government of Ukraine and the African Union Commission systematic.